Gloucester VA Links and News: Series

Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Gloucester, VA Page Middle School Dis Service Announcement 1

We have recently been given access to a series of communications regarding a number of areas of concern about the upcoming Page Middle school and all the issues surrounding the project.

It is our own opinion that the location of the new planned middle school is not at all in the best interest of the community as a whole. It is further our opinion that there are ulterior motives for why the new Page Middle School is being built in this new location.

We are now going to start presenting these communications as it is very in depth and well thought out. We see a lot of wholes in the arguments coming from various Gloucester officials and will interject our own opinions throughout the series. Eventually, we will be putting up a website covering the subject in a proper timeline covering all the issues and let everyone determine your own final opinion on the matter, deciding if your best interests have been taken into consideration or not. It's the tax dollars of each Gloucester resident, present and future, at stake. Construction has not yet started and now is the time to get involved before it becomes to late.

So let's begin:

Board Members,

It is understood that statistics prove natural lighting enhances learning. It is understood that the proper utilization of glass in school buildings provides that lighting and can lower energy costs. It is also understood that the improper or over use of glass in school buildings can result in negative impacts such as higher design and construction costs, higher energy costs, higher up keep and maintenance costs, redesign and build over or modification costs, distraction of students from learning, students and staff becoming the target of a shooter and more.

To adequately protect the occupants of a school building from a potential outside shooter the use of glass must be done so in a manner as to prevent the shooter from obtaining a line of sight. The utilization of fences or other such barriers to obscure the line of sight will also provide cover, concealment and a perch for a potential shooter. When determining the transition point between a solid wall and glass, the height of a person plus three or so feet should be considered to prevent line of sight target acquisition. If there are trees, towers, buildings or other means for a potential shooter to gain a height advantage to establish line of sight those conditions should be considered as well.

The use of interior glass should also be considered thoroughly to minimize the ability of an inside potential shooter. In today’s reaction drills students are taught to systematically do what is possible to evasively minimize line of sight opportunity for a potential shooter. Glass areas between classroom and hallway or open area should not provide this line of acquisition or line of sight opportunity for a potential shooter. If glass is used in any of the areas not suggested it should be bullet proof in composition as should its framework.

Bullet resistant glass is expensive----up to $60 a square foot according to Tom Briggs, president of U.S. Armor. This in addition to the cost of framing and installation. Mr. Briggs’ company supplies glass across the country and makes types of it to withstand 9mm to .50 caliber.

Response:

Been quiet on this front but have been following your messages. Prior to the joint meeting I spent a large amount of time looking at every angle possible to try to get the SB to reconsider a number of things – but to no avail. I talked to a number of individuals in various walks of life. I poured over those bore reports, looked at past contracts, etc. Nothing seemed to make a difference in the way the train was going. We had an e-mail from a gentleman that looked at the exact square footage of glass in the new school and compared relative costs of strengthened glass and regular solid walls and it was considerable (as you already know). I brought it up at the joint meeting but no one at our meeting said anything except sheetrock walls get dirty and require repairs and painting regularly. Another individual e-mailed us with numerous suggestions on how to save money and nothing happened either. It seems the train is out of the station and moving faster by the day that nothing will stop it except when the contract bids do come in.

In any case, all that extra work took a toll on me and my work at VIMS. I got so far behind that I am now paying the price of making up lost times on my weekends. I don’t mind as I know in my heart I did my best.

By the way, it is ironic that the SB is concerned about school security and want SRO’s at all the primary schools but yet want all this glass in the new school that will compromise kids safety.

Cheers

Board of Supervisors, Abingdon District

Gloucester County

Next communication:

JJ,
Your efforts, though ignored by some, are appreciated by many others. I do believe there will be a tremendous impact on the next couple of County elections due to what is occurring during the process of rebuilding Page Middle School. The citizens have spoken time and time again only to be ignored. There are members on the School Board and the Board of Supervisors who are in their positions for reasons other than doing what is in the best interest of the Gloucester Community.

Next Communication:

I respectfully disagree with your general description of board members and will only speak for myself. My only reason for being on the school board is to do the best job I possibly can for the children of this county. I have had a very positive experience with the school system and want to give something back to this county and be part of the solution. As part of this effort we do need to look forward and plan beyond our terms to assure the school progresses and we stay in constant improvement. The federal and state governments have been failing us for many years and especially over the past 5+. Their unfunded mandates and the cutting of existing funding streams have burdened this community as well as many others to points that have been unseen in the past. We still have 5500 students and 850 staff members showing up each day at our schools and they deserve the best we(our community) can provide them since they are our future .

Thanks you

Very Respectfully

Randy Burak

Next Communication:

Mr. Burak,

With all due respect, your response contains all the more reasons for you and board members from both boards to utilize available funds that are coming from the Gloucester Community in such a way as to get the most out of each and every dollar. In the area of school construction that is not the case and because of that fact there will be less dollars to utilize in other areas of equal or more importance like the school system operating budget.

There would definitely be more support for what is being done if you or anyone else could logically tell the Gloucester Community what justifies ignoring the Community and spending such a substantial amount of money to develop a new site in order to rebuild an incomplete, non-storm safe, glass filled, shooter friendly, high maintenance Page Middle School.

Response:

I guess we can go on and on with our emails but I assure you that the only goal is to complete a new school to replace the one destroyed by the tornado within budget that is safe, academically welcoming and one that flexible to withstand the many changes in the educational environment over the next 50+ years.

This issue you raise regarding glass in the building was modified from its initial plan and the glass was reduced. The area with the most glass can be closed off and access to the entire “house” can be restricted completely. We continue to work with the sheriff’s office to assure that we consider all things but Newtown introduced new threats that were never seen before and Newtown had some advanced security measures in place.

Our first and foremost objective is to have a safe place for our children to learn and I respectively disagree wholeheartedly that you would even think that anyone would do anything differently for reasons such as self-promotion. We have children, neighbors, friends, family in these schools each and every day and their safety is the only goal followed by the best academics we can provide.

Respectfully

Randy Burak

***** Please see our notes at the bottom of this post. *****

Next communication:

Instead of answering the question that has been asked over and over again Mr. Burak, Chairman of the School Board, seems to have become defensive and evasive. The glass areas at the back of each school house that he says will be secure will be enclosed by a fence. Here again is an extra cost
added to the project that will do very little to safegard the students and staff within the new multi-million dollar school.

End of the thread.

***** Our Notes but not our production.

Email from Gloucester County, Virginia Sheriff, Darrell Warren:

Good morning to you! Unfortunately, my office has had zero input in the design of the new school. Supervisor James and I spoke last week about his feelings on the design and he is in favor of placing deputies in all schools but says he won’t allocate a nickel until they take some glass out of the Page plans. Supervisor Orth told me six weeks ago that he was going to call me for my input about the new design but I have yet to hear from him. I can tell you that I did read your letter in the Gazette last week and what you write is correct about target visuals. Unfortunately, I nor anyone in my office, really has a position to tell them how to design their building. In the past, the schools have welcomed the idea of the Sheriff’s Office conducting threat assessments of their campuses so it would make sense, to me at least, for them to ask for some safety guidance on new construction design. Having said all of this, I am sure that there are experts out there that are much more qualified than me, who study topics such as these and make recommendations. I would hope that they have consulted with someone like this but it doesn’t appear this way. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Take care!

Darrell

Anyone see any issues here? This is the first in a series that most Gloucester residents will find very disturbing.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Anti Federalist Papers No 12 - How WIll The New Government Raise Money?

“CINCINNATUS” is an Antifederalist writer. In this essay, from an Address to a Meeting of the Citizens of Philadelphia, the writer responds to James Wilson’s statements about Congress’ powers to tax under the Constitution. It appeared in the November 29 and December 6, 1787, New-York Journal, as reprinted from a Philadelphia newspaper.

On the subject of taxation, in which powers are to be given so largely by the new constitution, you [James Wilson of Pennsylvania] lull our fears of abuse by venturing to predict “that the great revenue of the United States must, and always will, be raised by impost”-and you elevate our hopes by holding out, “the reviving and supporting the national credit.” If you have any other plan for this, than by raising money upon the people to pay the interest of the national debt, your ingenuity will deserve our thanks. Supposing however, that raising money is necessary to payment of the interest, and such a payment [is] requisite to support the credit of the union-let us see how much will be necessary for that end, and how far the impost will supply what we want. The arrearages of French and Spanish interest amount now to–1,500,000 dollars; Interest and installments of do. for 1788–850,227; Support of government; and its departments, for 1788–500,000; Arrears and anticipations of 1787– 300,000; Interest of domestic debt– 500,000 {total} 4,650,227 [3,650,227]

The new Congress then, supposing it to get into operation towards October, 1788, will have to provide for this sum, and for the additional sum of 3,000,000 at least for the ensuing year; which together will make the sum of 7,650,227 [6,650,227].

Now let us see how the impost will answer this. Congress have furnished us with their estimate of the produce of the whole imports of America at five per cent and that is 800,000 dollars. There will remain to provide for, by other taxes, 6,850,227 [5,850,227].

Read the rest below;

Anti Federalist Papers No 12 - Raising Money from Chuck Thompson

To open in full screen mode, please left click the icon at the far right bottom of the slideshare container. To exit full screen mode, hit the escape key on your keyboard. We now have the entire Anti Federalist Papers in audio format on our Podcast page. Check it out. Liberty Education Series here on Gloucester, Virginia Links and News. Introducing our new Gloucester, Virginia Crier, above.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Anti Federalist Papers No. 6 Anarchy

'A people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.'

The evils of anarchy have been portrayed with all the imagery of language in the growing colors of eloquence; the affrighted mind is thence led to clasp the new Constitution as the instrument of deliverance, as the only avenue to safety and happiness. To avoid the possible and transitory evils of one extreme, it is seduced into the certain and permanent misery necessarily attendant on the other. A state of anarchy from its very nature can never be of long continuance; the greater its violence the shorter the duration.

Order and security are immediately sought by the distracted people beneath the shelter of equal laws and the salutary restraints of regular government; and if this be not attainable, absolute power is assumed by the one, or a few, who shall be the most enterprising and successful. If anarchy, therefore, were the inevitable consequence of rejecting the new Constitution, it would be infinitely better to incur it, for even then there would be at least the chance of a good government rising out of licentiousness. But to rush at once into despotism because there is a bare possibility of anarchy ensuing from the rejection, or from what is yet more visionary, the small delay that would be occasioned by a revision and correction of the proposed system of government is so superlatively weak, so fatally blind, that it is astonishing any person of common understanding should suffer such an imposition to have the least influence on his judgment; still more astonishing that so flimsy and deceptive a doctrine should make converts among the enlightened freemen of America, who have so long enjoyed the blessings of liberty.

But when I view among such converts men otherwise pre-eminent it raises a blush for the weakness of humanity that these, her brightest ornaments, should be so dimsighted to what is self-evident to most men, that such imbecility of judgment should appear where so much perfection was looked for. This ought to teach us to depend more on our own judgment and the nature of the case than upon the opinions of the greatest and best of men, who, from constitutional infirmities or particular situations, may sometimes view an object through a delusive medium; but the opinions of great men are more frequently the dictates of ambition or private interest.

Anti Federalist Papers number 6, partial post.

Anti Federalist Papers No 6 - Anarchy from Chuck Thompson

To read the entire text in full screen mode, please left click on the icon at the far bottom right of the above container. To leave full screen mode, hit the escape key. Free downloads are available on our SlideShare site.

Interesting video to go along with the series. Liberty Education Series. Gloucester, Virginia Links and News.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Bostonians

Liberty's Kids episode number 31. The Bostonians. To go along with this episode, we have published an historical book titled, "The Loyalists of America and Their Times", as it goes along with this story very well.

The Loyalists of America and Their Times vol. 1 from Chuck Thompson

Free downloads are available on this e-book from our SlideShare site. All part of our Liberty Education Series.

Liberty's Kids (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thursday, August 1, 2013

The Battle Extends Into Spain Now

Liberty's Kids episode number 29, The Great Galvez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardo_de_G%C3%A1lvez This is the Wiki on Galvez with all the information.

The criticism to be passed on the conduct of this summer campaign by the British Ministry is twofold. In the first place, it was not ready according to the reasonable standard of the day, which recognised in the probable coõperation of the two Bourbon kingdoms, France and Spain, the measure of the minimum naval force permissible to Great Britain. Secondly, the entrance of Spain into the war had been foreseen months before. For the inferior force, therefore, it was essential to prevent a junction,—to take an interior position. The Channel fleet ought to have been off Brest before the French sailed. After they were gone, there was still fair ground for the contention of the Opposition, that they should have been followed, and attacked, off the coast of Spain. During the six weeks they waited there, they were inferior to Hardy's force. Allowance here must be made, however, for the inability of a representative government to disregard popular outcry, and to uncover the main approach to its own ports. This, indeed, does but magnify the error made in not watching Brest betimes; for in such case a fleet before Brest covered also the Channel.

With regard to the objects of the war in which they had become partners, the views of France and Spain accorded in but one point,—the desirability of injuring Great Britain. Each had its own special aim for its own advantage. This necessarily introduced divergence of effort; but, France having first embarked alone in the contest and then sought the aid of Spain, the particular objects of her ally naturally obtained from the beginning a certain precedence. Until near the close of the war, it may be said that the chief ambitions of France were in the West Indies; those of Spain, in Europe,—to regain Minorca and Gibraltar.

In this way Gibraltar became a leading factor in the contest, [pg 121]and affected, directly or indirectly, the major operations throughout the world, by the amount of force absorbed in attacking and preserving it. After the futile effort in the Channel, in 1779, Spain recalled her vessels from Brest. "The project of a descent upon England was abandoned provisionally. To blockade Gibraltar, to have in America and Asia force sufficient to hold the British in check, and to take the offensive in the West Indies,—such," wrote the French government to its ambassador in Madrid, "was the plan of campaign adopted for 1780." Immediately upon the declaration of war, intercourse between Gibraltar and the Spanish mainland was stopped. Soon afterwards a blockade by sea was instituted; fifteen cruisers being stationed at the entrance of the Bay, where they seized and sent into Spanish ports all vessels, neutral or British, bound to the Rock. This blockade was effectively supported from Cadiz, but a Spanish force of some ships of the line and many small vessels also maintained it more directly from Algeciras, on the Spanish side of the Bay of Gibraltar. The British Mediterranean squadron, then consisting only of one 60-gun ship, three frigates, and a sloop, was wholly unable to afford relief. At the close of the year 1779, flour in Gibraltar was fourteen guineas the barrel, and other provisions in proportion. It became therefore imminently necessary to throw in supplies of all kinds, as well as to reinforce the garrison. To this service Rodney was assigned; and with it he began the brilliant career, the chief scene of which was to be in the West Indies.

Historical account of navel conflicts during the American Revolution.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

The Battles Wage Relentlessly - The Green Mountain Boys Save The Day,

The story of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. See the Liberty's Kids video here about this story. Then you can read all about it in further detail right here with this e-book.

The Hero of Ticonderoga" target="_blank">The Hero of Ticonderoga from Chuck Thompson

Free downloads of this e-book are available from our SlideShare site. Just click the save button at the top of the container. Want an ePub edition instead?
http://www.putlocker.com/file/A969F84D1F02011B Link to a free ePub copy of this e-book. The hero of Ticonderoga. No signing up, no emails, no gimmicks, no kidding. GVLN, where free really means free.

Ticonderoga Mill stone (Photo credit: dicktay2000)

Monday, July 8, 2013

The Lexington Invasion - Liberty Education Series

Today we are beginning an all new series. It's the Liberty Education Series. It's designed to make learning history fun and exciting and bridge the gap of the very serious lack of historical education the citizens of these United States suffer from. We are using the best forms of educational entertainment we can find. Nothing dusty or dry. We have been watching the Liberty's Kids series to check on the level of factual information and have found them to be very well researched and presented which is why we will now be posting them into this site.

Along with the videos we will be including free e-books that back up what you have seen. This helps to make learning more fun and it does not seem like learning until you discuss the ideas. The e-books will all be presented on this site and also made available for download to be read at a later time. If you miss any copies, we are also posting the title along with the link on our e-books page. All again are free.

We hope you enjoy this new series.

The King's Men Move To Lexington from Chuck Thompson

Liberty's Kids (Photo credit: Wikipedia)