The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas reveals Jesus’ words on the Kingdom of God. You could say that it’s God’s “Back to the Future,” or perhaps God’s Return of the Beginning.

Jesus says: “You see, the end will be where the beginning is. Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death.”

The Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of thirteen ancient codices containing over fifty texts, was discovered in upper Egypt in 1945. This  important discovery includes a large number of primary Gnostic scriptures – texts once thought to have been entirely destroyed during the early Christian struggle to define “orthodoxy” – scriptures such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth. The leather-bound codices found at Nag Hammadi in 1945.

The discovery and translation of the Nag Hammadi library, completed in the 1970s, has provided impetus to a major re-evaluation of early Christian history, and “newly-found” insights into what Jesus thought and taught – particularly about the Kingdom of God. The text provides truth for those of all faiths. Many who meditate on Jesus’ words here begin to get a clearer understanding of what he was and is saying.

Many scholars have pointed to Thomas as the twin of Jesus. In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus comments on the roles of James the Just and Mary Magdalene.

Three (3) other insights from the Gospel of Thomas include:

- Jesus said, “Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]”

- The disciples said to Jesus, “We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?” Jesus said to them, “No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.”

- Jesus said, “Look, I will guide her (Mary) to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven.”

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To gain insights, read the full text of the Gospel of Thomas on our blog at:

http://7bends.com/blog/2010/07/the-kingdom-of-god-is-a-return-of-the-beginning/

Enjoy!

Woodstock, VA – An innovative program in the Valley has involved students in helping to save energy in the Shenandoah County School District.

The results:

Through the efforts of school and division energy management teams, the Shenandoah County Public Schools were able to save $47,551 in electrical service costs during the months of January, February, March, and April 2010.

Due to the school division’s efforts, the Shenandoah County Public School have saved $121,355 in electricity expenses when compared to the same time period during the 2008-2009 school year.

During these same four months in 2010, the school division reduced its water consumption by a total of 198,300 gallons. The reduction equates to 7.49% less than last year.

The winning schools:

As a part of the school division’s Go Green! Competitions, three schools are being recognized for their efforts to reduce electricity and water consumption within their buildings.

Electric expenses

- At the elementary level, W.W. Robinson Elementary in Woodstock, VA, saved the school division $16,388 and reduced their consumption as a rate that was greater than the other elementary schools in the division.

- Signal Knob Middle School in Strasburg, VA won the middle school competition by reducing consumption at a rate that was slightly over 1 percent better than the division’s other two middle schools.

- The high school winner and the overall division winner was Strasburg High School. Through their reduction strategies, their electrical consumption decreased by 6.99%.

Water usage

- Sandy Hook Elementary School in Strasburg, VA reduced their consumption by 13.93%. They are the elementary school water conservation winner.

- The middle school winner was North Fork Middle School in Mount Jackson (Quicksburg), VA. Their water usage decreased by 5.71%.

- The overall winner and the high school winner is Stonewall Jackson High School in Mount Jackson (Quicksburg), VA. Their water consumption decreased by 30.86%, saving the division $3,246.

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During the first ten months of the 2008-2009 school year, the Shenandoah County Public Schools expended over $1.5 million on water, electricity, and heating costs. However, during the first ten months of this year, the school division has expended slightly over $1.3 million on these same utilities. This has resulted in a total utility savings of $227,161 when compared to the same time period last year.

For two years, the Shenandoah County School have participated in the Go Green Competition as a way to encourage environmentally-friendly practices in the schools, while at the same time reducing overall expenditures during a difficult economic climate.

During the two years that this program has been in existence, the Shenandoah County Public Schools has reduced the amount of money expended for utility costs by $320,538.

How the Go Green Competition works

Each school’s Energy Management Team has worked with personnel in their buildings to implement specific strategies that have assisted the division in reducing energy costs, while at the same time making an effort to preserve precious environmental resources.

Without their leadership, these accomplishments would not have been possible. Again this year, the Shenandoah County Public Schools Energy Management Committee has decided to participate in the VSBA Green Schools Challenge.

Shenandoah County Public Schools is committed to leading by example and helping everyone in the school system take steps to reduce their carbon footprint. The Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Green Schools Challenge is a friendly competition designed to encourage implementation of specific environmental policies and practical actions that reduce the carbon emissions generated by the local school division and the broader community.

The goal of the challenge is to become a certified “Green School Division.” Recognition will be given at the VSBA Annual Conference in November 2010 to the top three school divisions in each of three student population brackets (less than 5,000; 5,001-10,000; 10,001-plus).

The VSBA Green Schools Challenge is sponsored by Moseley Architects. At the VSBA annual convention in November 2009, the Shenandoah County Schools earned third place in this competition.

What tips do you have for energy savings. Write your Comment below.

Distraction is defined by wikipedia as: “the diversion of attention of an individual or group from the chosen object of attention onto the source of distraction.” While finding missing children is certainly a laudable goal (who can argue that?), we have police and detective forces responsible for handling those cases. But, Point to Point highway surveillance systems? What is the real connection with lost children?

See related definition of media distraction.

Primarily for Amber Alerts?

The use of taxpayers dollars to install elaborate, expensive, intrusive tracking and surveillance systems on our interstate highways for the stated purpose of issuing Amber Alerts – designed to find lost children – is a long shot, and perhaps a distraction from what’s really being put into place.

Does our government really care about us enough to pay all of that money for our benefit? Look at their recent track record of protecting the people – corporate bailouts, cuts in unemployment benefits, closed rest areas, the handling of the Gulf oil spill, increased fees for everything, the list goes on…

Once these systems are put into place, it will be very difficult for citizens to demand that they are dismantled.

Here’s a recent Associated Press article concerning Charleston, West Virginia:

“West Virginia highways have been equipped with a network of cameras and computerized message boards to make it easier to track down missing children. State officials say 17 automated message boards have been installed, and eight cameras have been put up along the Interstate 64 corridor to monitor traffic.

Bruce Kenney, who oversees traffic monitoring for the Division of Highways, says a $1.5 million computerized war room was built to compile traffic and weather information and control the cameras and message boards. The boards can be programmed to warn motorists about traffic conditions or spread word of an Amber Alert, which goes out when a child is missing or abducted.”

What do you think? Is a kidnapper going to put a child in a car in clear view of cameras, and, for that matter, choose to drive on a freeway that he/she knows has cameras? (Watch and see West Virginians how the system will be employed.)

Have you seen these types of message boards and cameras in your area – on roads and interstates near you? How often have they been used so far, and for what purposes?  Add your Comments below.

Here is VDOT  information about cameras and message boards on Interstate 81 in Virginia.

Point-to-Point Tracking Systems for people, cars

There are other reports on the Internet of these systems being built in the U.S., particularly in Maryland where Governor O’Malley signed a bill into law in October 2009 authorizing surveillance cameras in highway work zones and within a half-mile radius of schools.

So too, The US Federal Highway Administration has provided approximately 90 percent of the $43 million cost required to implement a pilot program – the Kansas City Scout Intelligent Transportation System.

The Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation provided the remaining portion with the amount split into two roughly equal parts according to how much of the network was located in each state. Maintenance cost is split similarly between the Kansas and Missouri Departments.

Here is the project’s official description of the Scout system:

“To effectively monitor traffic, the Kansas City Scout project employs a network designed to host a combination of various traffic detection devices. Stretching over 75 miles, the Scout system includes portions of Interstate 435, I-35, US 69 and K-10 in Kansas and portions of interstates 435, 35, 470, 670, 70; highways 71 and 169; and Route 9 on the Missouri side.

Scout uses technology such as closed-circuit cameras, electronic message boards and roadway sensors to monitor and manage traffic on these routes. Information is gathered using a crucial fibre-optic network that stretches for 90 miles beneath the roadside.

Following the launch of the Scout system in September 2004 several cameras were added to help remove blind-spots that were only recognised once it was fully operational. Three cameras were added in February 2005 to cover the I-470 mainline bridges west of Route 71, south Route71 and west Interstate 435 and also North Interstate 435 at Bannister Road. The new cameras were state-of-the-art 360 degree pan tilt and zoom and gave the system more than 80 cameras on the network.

Prominent features of the Scout system include 25 foot-wide electronic message boards and 45 foot-tall camera poles. In August 2007, an additional seveen cameras were deployed on Interstate 470 and Highway 71 to enhance coverage in South Kansas City.”

These sensors, cameras, and the resulting “command centers” – like CSI intelligence rooms with Abby standing by ready to help – are being built to catch motorists who drive faster between two points on the freeway than deemed permissible. The state then mails the motorist a hefty speeding ticket – without recourse, without any human being involved in citing the infraction whatsoever. What will we have next, arrest by computer?

In some cases, too, these services are being outsourced so it’s not even the government that is anonymously tracking people, but outside paid contractors. If police officers are given speeding ticket quotas, who is to say that contractors will not be awarded for the amount of revenue they help bring into state, or Federal, coffers?

These computerized highway tracking systems have been operational in some places in Europe for a while, and in the state of Florida, which supposedly installed an elaborate system of Interstate cameras under then-Governor Jeb Bush, and then dismantled them after legal action (i.e. privacy concerns.) The citizens would not stand for the cameras as an outright measure. But, what if they are instituted as a part of another “initiative”?

Since when do computers have more say, more rights, than humans?

When did we start allowing computer information to matter more than people? Where did “innocent until proven guilty” go in America? Have we given the right to accuse one of a crime  to computers?

A computer can be made to say or do anything. We all know that from the obnoxious computer “lady” that gives herself a name when we call to resolve an issue with our phone company, energy company, etc.

The simulated voice (not a real woman’s voice) will say, “Sorry, I did not hear that.” and I say, “That’s because you’re a computer, not a real person.”

Catch 22 Psychology at work

The psychology of the above situation where an elaborate tracking system is being put into place “to track down missing children,” establishes a situation where it looks bad for citizens to object to the intrusive surveillance because then, of course, they are objecting to finding missing children. Only a heel would not believe or say that finding missing children is not a good thing.

The argument against these surveillance systems puts U.S. citizens in a Catch 22 situation if they question or object to what the main purpose of the surveillance is.

Maybe I’m wrong. Judge it for yourself.

So many things these days are set up this way.

That’s not to say that some kids might be found by all of the highway cameras. But, getting taken by the notion that we are allowing one action to help ensure a given outcome is naive, and gives our rights, and our power away.

Young people …and everyone else, we all need to wake up.

What’s your opinion? Write a Comment below.

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Learn more about Catch 22 – What is it?

(Wikipedia) Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller, first published in 1961. The novel, set during the later stages of World War II from 1943 onwards, is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century

Among other things, Catch-22 is a general critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning. Resulting from its specific use in the book, the phrase “Catch-22″ is common idiomatic usage meaning “a no-win situation” or “a double bind” of any type. Within the book, “Catch-22″ is a military rule, the self-contradictory circular logic that, for example, prevents anyone from avoiding combat missions. In Heller’s own words:

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

Other forms of Catch-22 are invoked throughout the novel to justify various bureaucratic actions. At one point, victims of harassment by military police quote the MPs’ explanation of one of Catch-22’s provisions: “Catch-22 states that agents enforcing Catch-22 need not prove that Catch-22 actually contains whatever provision the accused violator is accused of violating.” Another character explains: “Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.” The theme of a bureaucracy marginalizing the individual in an absurd way is similar to the world of Kafka’s The Trial, and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. The concept of ‘doublethink’ has definite echoes in Heller’s work.

Yossarian comes to realize that Catch-22 does not actually exist, but because the powers that be claim it does, and the world believes it does, it nevertheless has potent effects. Indeed, because it does not exist there is no way it can be repealed, undone, overthrown, or denounced.

U.S.A. – AT & T has verified the existence of a phone scam that can result in charges of more than $2,000 per minute by calling area codes 809, 294 or 876.

Do not ever dial numbers with the following area codes: 809, 294, 876.

Residents in Virginia this week are reporting a scam. “I actually received
a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said, ‘”Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you — get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.”  Then, she repeated a phone number beginning with area code 809. We did not respond.

Then this week, we received the following e-mail: Do Not DIAL AREA CODES 809, 284, or 876.”

Fraudulent charges

On further investigation, if you call any of these three area codes from the United States. , you will apparently be charged $2,425 per-minute.

Don’t dial the area code 809. Apparently, this same scam is happening all over the U.S. The callers will try and get you to return their call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill, or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a prize.

In each case, you are told to call a 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

Here’s how they try and trick you

Once someone calls the 809 number, they will often get a long recorded message to get you to stay on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. The reason why this works is that the 809 area code is located
in the Dominican Republic. The charges that accrue from you staying on the line are hard to fight afterward because you did indeed initiate the call.

Some citizens when they complain to their local and/or long distance carrier have been told that there is nothing they can do about the charges simply providing the billing for the foreign company. Most often, you’ll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

Please alert your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam and/or pass on this article.

Here is the AT&T web page that verfied that this scam is indeed true.

A Four-Hour Tour

“Sit right back” and ride with me through rural WV. See for yourself just how “clean” the natural gas drilling process called “fracking” really is. We got a up-close, four-hour tour of this Wetzel County hydrofracturing operation (a large Chesapeake Energy project) two weeks ago by some local West Virginia residents, and want to share what we saw and heard.

To be informed about what’s going on with fracking, and everything that’s at stake, is the first step to slowing down the process until citizen interests are considered first - before corporate profits, and before the land in the United States (including WV and VA) is polluted possibly beyond repair – just like the Gulf.

With hydrofracking we’re really talking about hundreds of “ground zeros,” instead of one.

This article is an example of the power of electronic journalism. Whether you’re a child, a teen, or an adult, whatever your station in life, citizens can use technology and the Internet – blogs, videos, photos, writing, social networking, cell phones, electronic devices, etc. – to tell the stories that must be told, the stories of the people, of democracy and freedom.

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What You See Is What You Get

I had heard about the hydrofracking process, had researched it, and had written a number of articles on fracking, but what I saw when I visited the Wetzel County, WV site surprised me.  I left somber.

In the Northeast U.S., natural gas is generally found in the Marcelleus shale rock formation, which extends from New York – and as many people don’t realize, down into Virginia.

In Rockingham County, VA, Carrizo Oil & Gas (a Houston firm) has applied for the first application to hydrofrack in the state of Virginia – in tiny Bergton, to be exact.

Bergton is a rural area, outside of Harrisonburg, not far from James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University.

There are no Federal regulations against hydrofracking. Nor does Virginia have any – yet. So, the special use permit to drill a natural gas test well in Bergton is the first time hydrofracking has become a possibility in Virginia, and in the Shenandoah Valley. This is significant because once the “floodgates are open,” there will be no turning back. The water supply for the Valley, and by extension, Washington D.C., is at risk.

The situation is being studied and weighed by the local Rockingham County, VA,  Board of Supervisors (BOS) as you read this.

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Showing the Reality of Hydrofracking – Case Study: Wetzel County, West Virginia

Here’s what I learned about the process before I went on the tour… Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves the injection of between 3 to 8 million gallons of water, sand, and undisclosed chemicals at very high pressure down vertical pipes and then across into horizontal drilled wells as far down as 10,000 below the Earth’s surface.

The pressurized mixture causes the rock layer – in this case Marcellus shale – to crack. These fissures are held open by the sand particles so that natural gas from the shale can collect and then be pumped into holding tanks, or piped out directly to market.

The used-up fracking liquid is stored in open pits (below) and then either taken to a waste water treatment plant, or covered up by sand/dirt on site.

This is especially dangerous when a project is built on or by a floodplain.

During the process, about 200 large tanker trucks are needed to deliver the millions of gallons of water for the fracturing process for each single derrick/well.

Alternatively, although rarely disclosed in the permit and application, gas companies – can actually suck the water out of nearby streams to use for their own purposes.

What I was not prepared for was that with each step of the natural gas drilling process, there is machinery, construction, dust, invasion of the Earth’s crust – and yet another chopped-off hill – literally in every direction one looks.

There are water pipes along the side of almost every road, and up and down the hills.

There are compressor stations and storage tanks, dozens of heavy trucks, moving back and forth on small roads, and there are staging areas, where barrels of chemicals (with toxic signs on them) are just sitting outside on the ground (below).

The scale is big. It’s hard to show here. The “pads” that the derricks sit on, for example, can be as large as four or five acres. In Wetzel County, during the construction process, silt fences are not being used on any type of a regular basis. Thus, whatever is disturbed can spread to another area.

Here are some more pictures I snapped in Wetzel County, WV:

Not too far from Wheeling, the striking terrain of this remote West Virginia land (near Maud, WV on Route 7) used to be open, rolling, green-covered hills, with trees everywhere.

These are not your Old Grand Dad’s small oil derricks, ala Beverly Hillbillies style, dotting the landscape here and there, like fairy castles. No, hydrofracking is indeed an industrial undertaking.

Below are the small rural roads in Wetzel County that were never meant for dozens of 80,000 pound trucks rolling by, reducing some of the paved roads to dirt.

There is so much activity and wear & tear that the roads must be watered throughout the day just to control the dust it’s so thick (right).

The nearby streams in Wetzel County used to be freely flowing with clean water, and fish in them – and a habitat for other wildlife and plants (below).

Chesapeake Energy is taking hundreds of thousands of water a day from the local watershed to use in the fracking process. They siphon as much water from the streams as they need. Why is this permissible, when taking the water affects the whole region, not just the property that has been leased?

Quality of Life Must Trump Profiteering

Here’s the deal: The energy companies lay out their industrial operation like a grid, deciding where best to situate the wells to make the most money. If someone’s land is in that path, regardless of whether he/she has signed a lease, the oil company can still run pipes under his/her land.

That’s eminent domain in action; it takes power away from citizens, and places it into corporate hands – hands that most often have profit as a motivation, rather than quality of life.

You can see here how the water looks. It’s a red/rust color, about the consistency of chocolate milk.

One day, our “tour guide” said that he actually saw workers pulling out water from a stream as the minnows lay there dying. Many of the plants in the area are also gone. Barren land is what’s left behind.

Taking all of this water from the environment is happening even as some areas in the region have declared an emergency situation because of drought conditions.

There are other ramifications that affect the quality of life, too.

The Wetzel County residents used to be able to leave their homes at anytime without being delayed for hours because of the double-wide compressor machines that the large trucks trek up the country roads to the fracking sites three times a week. Now, citizen schedules must be built around Chesapeake’s corporate schedule.

These large trucks on the small roads also cause safety issues.

Our tour guide said that this past year EMT personnel had to use a Kybota to get an elderly woman from her home in order to take her to the hospital when the Chesapeake trucks were blocking the roads. Accidents, too, are common and have increased. A lifeline helicopter now circles above the area.

Know too…  Since 2005, the energy companies that run hydraulic fracturing operations have been exempt from compliance with The Clean Air Act and the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Right now, in essence, we’re living in an unregulated fracking free-for-all. That kind of “environment” has been demonstrated all too well in the Gulf of Mexico.

As one of the residents in Wetzel County, WV, remarked to me when we first arrived: “They do what they want.”

Here is what the residents told us. In Wetzel County, WV, before Chesapeake Energy came in, there were weight limit signs on the small roads and bridges near the soon-to-be fracking site , but a few days before their arrival, the locals said that these weight limit signs “miraculously disappeared.” There was a obstacle; it was eliminated.

Omission of pertinent information is also an issue. For example, a complete listing of the specific chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations are not made available to landowners, neighbors, local officials, or health care providers, nor is it required by any government entity.

There have been reports just this month in PA where energy companies have finally been pressured to release their list of 80-plus fracking chemicals. Why is it not required of these companies upfront – to state what they plan to inject into the ground? That’s only sensible and reasonable. (Cattle in PA have also been quarantined because of runoff fracking liquid.)

Fracking Divides People and Towns

Another observation: Perhaps, the most significant harm fracking brings to a community is a social one. Suffice it to say that division occurs when a fracking operation comes to town. The issue seems to intrinsically split the community into those who are financially benefiting from the drilling (and look the other way to the environmental harms), and those who have not leased land (or, who have decided to stand up for peoples’ health and the environment – on principle.)

If you’re interested, the technical aspects of how hydrofracking works are illustrated in this ABC News video.

Or, view this earlier article on the health effects of hydrofracking, as researched by Dr. Theo Colburn.

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The Regional Backdrop: Virginia is Next on the Radar Screen

Commentary: The Wetzel County, WV, Chesapeake Energy hydrofracking operation that you’ve just seen has been going on for four years now. It’s a great case study for us in Virginia, as we decide how we’ll handle our natural gas challenge.

We have a window of opportunity here in Virginia; for how long is unclear. We have a unique chance to make a difference for the Commonwealth, and also to set an example for the rest of the country as to what we’ll put up with, and what we won’t.

Will we act swiftly and decisively to hold energy companies accountable, or will allow big business interests and the clout of those who are making big bucks from the drilling to set the stage?

Here is a picture (right) of the Cowfer #1 natural gas (fracking) operation in Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania that Carrizo Oil & Gas built.

Here are other pictures of rural Bergton, VA, where a fracking operation is now being  proposed by Carrizo Oil & Gas:

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This is the first time any area of Virginia has had to deal with these fracking  issues. As part of their due diligence, members of the Rockingham County VA Board of Supervisors recently drove up to Wetzel County, WV, and took a similar tour of the Chesapeake Energy fracking operation. They also took video and still photos.

The people must know what is going on.

Let’s see which Virginia politician – local or otherwise - stands up first and sponsors legislation in the Virginia Assembly next session to regulate this first precedent-setting fracking operation in Virginia.

Whoever does take the lead will surely be lauded.

Proposed Bergton Drill Site is Next to the Watershed that Supplies D.C. with Drinking Water

It’s important to note that the Bergton drilling site is on a flood plain. And, it’s between two tributaries of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River (Rader Run and Bennett Run.) . Just this week, Governor McDonnell declared Rockingham County, Virginia, a disaster area due to current drought conditions.   After reading the Carrizo Oil & Gas application, the source of the millions of gallons of water needed for fracking in Bergton is a mystery. They only have budgeted $11,500 for “drilling and potable water” in the application.

We are all connected

If Carrizo does the same as Chesapeake Energy and siphons water from the local streams here in VA, the water situation will worsen. And, what will fracking so close to the watershed do to the water supply for the Valley – and by extension for the Washington DC area? Will we end up with water that looks and smells like Wetzel County’s  streams?

Without strong leadership soon, it’s likely that the Bergton, VA area will become much like the industrial scene that you’ve witnessed in the pictures from West Virginia.

The People Taking A Stand, Joining Together

Let’s hope that enough people get involved to have us learn from the experience of our neighbors in NY, PA, and WV. Virginia needs to enact a moratorium until regulations can be put into place to protect Virginia citizens, Virginia land, and our regional water supply. A natural gas severance tax of some sort would be advantageous for Virginia coffers, as well.

What can you do?

1) Watch for news on 7Bends.com about an upcoming citizen dialogue meeting to be held here in Virginia in the Fall. It will use the innovative Open Space Technology (OST) format which encourages open conversation among all of the people and parties involved, most prominently involving the citizens themselves.

2) Contact your elected officials today to ask what they plan to do about the situation. Be aware that there are 24 counties in Virginia that do have Marcellus shale, so your area could be next. The Bergton decision affects all Virginians.

What about the “Energy Independence” Argument?

Before I close this article, I want to lay the energy independence issue out on the table. The powerful energy industry – with its mega bucks, mega lobbyists, hefty community contributions and media buys – are touting natural gas drilling as “a clean source of energy” that will be one of nation’s answers to energy independence for the U.S.

Many Americans, when they first hear about “natural gas drilling,” react “Way to go! We want energy independence. We won’t have to rely on just coal, or on foreign suppliers.” That is a great aim. But, the reality is … to not object to the hydrofracking process – as it now exists in its unregulated state – is just not possible once you’ve witnessed it.

Without these regulations, it’s not a decision of the heart – or any type of logic – to want hydrofracking “in your own backyard.” That is, unless you’re one of the folks getting monthly checks, and you’ve abandoned your now-polluted piece of property, and bought a nice big house somewhere else. What about the land? What about your neighbors?

The race is on

As legislators try and play “catch up,” the natural gas drilling companies are racing “to get it while the getting is good” – that is, before the process is slowed down and handled responsibly.

A scene near Bergton now (pre-frack).

Imagine a sign reading: “Welcome visitors to the once beautiful Shenandoah Valley – that is, before hydrofracking.”

The streams, vegetation, water supply, and air for many thousands of people – just one degree of separation from the “ground zeros” that are being erected all across the countryside – are being threatened.

Responsible business is one thing; we welcome that. But, this unregulated, free-for-all is unacceptable. If Virginians do not take notice and enact regulations before the energy companies come into “frack” Virginia land, it will be difficult to stop the tide, as our neighboring states can definitely agree.

I always learned: leave whatever land or property you use better than the way you found it. We must make it so.

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“In general I esteem it a good maxim, that the best way to preserve the confidence of the people durably is to promote their true interest.”                 ~ George Washington

Here is the Official Summary of Senate Bill S 510 – from OpenCongress.org:

12/18/2009–Reported to Senate amended. FDA Food Safety Modernization Act – Title I: Improving Capacity to Prevent Food Safety Problems -

(Sec. 101)
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to expand the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to inspect records related to food, including to:

(1) allow the inspection of records of food that the Secretary reasonably believes is likely to be affected in a similar manner as an adulterated food; and
(2) require that each person (excluding farms and restaurants) who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports an article of food permit inspection of his or her records if the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to such food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

(Sec. 102)
Authorizes the Secretary to suspend the registration of a food facility if the food manufactured, processed, packed, or held by a facility has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

The Bill also requires parents to provide documentation of their child’s food allergy to schools.

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When they speak about “adulterated food,” they are, in part, referring to genetically-modified food.

Wikipedia defines GM food as such:

Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms include selective breeding (plant breeding and animal breeding), and somaclonal variation.

GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. But animal products have also been developed. In 2006, a pig was controversially engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids through the expression of a roundworm gene. Researchers have also developed a genetically-modified breed of pigs that are able to absorb plant phosphorus more efficiently, and as a consequence the phosphorus content of their manure is reduced by as much as 60 percent.

Critics have objected to GM foods on several grounds, including possible safety issues, ecological concerns, and economic concerns raised by the fact that these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.

Read more here about Monsanto and GM food, and the control of the world seed market.

*****

“Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish?  Nothing else.” ~ Epictetus

FoodFredom.Wordpress.com list the following effects if the US citizens do not stop the passage of  S 510:

1.  It puts all US food and all US farms under Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, in the event of contamination or an ill-defined emergency.

2.  It would end US sovereignty over its own food supply by insisting on compliance with the World Trade Organziation (WTO), thus threatening national security.  It would end the Uruguay Round Agreement Act of 1994, which put US sovereignty and US law under perfect protection.  Instead, S 510 states:

“COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.
Nothing in this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization or any other treaty or international agreement to which the United States is a party.”

3.  It would allow the government, under Maritime Law, to define the introduction of any food into commerce (even direct sales between individuals) as smuggling into “the United States.”  Since under that law, the US is a corporate entity and not a location, “entry of food into the US” covers food produced anywhere within the land mass of this country and “entering into” it by virtue of being produced.

4.  It imposes Codex Alimentarius on the US, a global system of control over food.  It allows the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the WTO to take control of every food on earth and remove access to natural food supplements.

Its bizarre history and its expected impact in limiting access to adequate nutrition (while mandating GM food, GM animals, pesticides, hormones, irradiation of food, etc.) threatens all safe and organic food and health itself, since the world knows now it needs vitamins to survive, not just to treat illnesses.

5.  It would remove the right to clean, store and thus own seed in the US, putting control of seeds in the hands of Monsanto and other multinationals, threatening US security. Seeds are the basis of all plants, and controlling them controls the food supply.

6.  It includes NAIS, an animal traceability program that threatens all small farmers and ranchers raising animals.  The UN is participating through the WHO, FAO, WTO, and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in allowing mass slaughter of even heritage breeds of animals and without proof of disease.

Biodiversity in farm animals is being wiped out to substitute genetically- engineered animals on which corporations hold patents. Animal diseases can be falsely declared.  S 510 includes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), despite its involvement in the H1N1 vaccine campaign.

7.  It extends the policy – Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) -  to all food, thus threatening to do to all local food production and farming what HACCP did to meat production – put it in corporate hands and worsen food safety.

8.  It deconstructs what is left of the American economy.  It takes agriculture and food, which are the cornerstone of all economies, out of the hands of the citizenry, and puts them under the control of multinational corporations influencing the UN, WHO, FAO and WTO, with HHS, and CDC, acting as agents, with Homeland Security as the enforcer. The chance to rebuild the economy based on farming, ranching, gardens, food production, natural health, and all the jobs, tools and connected occupations would be eliminated.

9.  It would allow the government to mandate antibiotics, hormones, slaughterhouse waste, pesticides and GMOs.  This would industrialize every farm in the US, eliminate local organic farming, greatly increase global warming from increased use of oil-based products and long-distance delivery of foods, and make food even more unsafe.  The five items listed — the Five Pillars of Food Safety — are precisely the items in the food supply which are the primary source of its danger.

10. It uses food crimes as the entry into police state power and control.  The bill postpones defining all the regulations to be imposed; postpones defining crimes to be punished, postpones defining penalties to be applied.  It removes fundamental constitutional protections from all citizens in the country, making them subject to a corporate tribunal with unlimited power and penalties, and without judicial review. It is (similar to C-6 in Canada) the end of Rule of Law in the US.

[If you have some information you want to pass on, send it to Editor@7Bends.com. Feel free to add a Comment on the bottom of this article.]

Decide For Yourself

Read and form your opinion about whether justice is being served, or whether the motive is profit.

The Thomas family has asked that supporters and interested parties meet outside the Augusta County Courthouse at around 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL CONCERNED CITIZENS

“Approximately two years ago, in 2008,while incarcerated, I was given a politically-motivated “administrative transfer” from the Harrisonburg jail to the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona, Virginia, after writing to the local Health Department informing them that the facility in Harrisonburg had ceased making available HIV-testing for prisoners.

After being housed at Middle River for about three months, I was charged by that facility’s institutional investigator with two separate Class 6 felony charges(near misdemeanors) for (1) “possession of a deadly weapon,” and, (2) “destruction of a fire system”. The “deadly weapon” was a half-broken $.72 cent toothbrush holder, and the “fire system” was a sprinkler button, with an estimated value of less than $100.00.

These charges, although the most miniscule and petty of “offences” under Virginia law, carry a maximum of 10 years in prison; which I have been threatened with potentially being sentenced to, in the Augusta County Circuit Court.

I was released from prison nearly a year ago for good behavior after having participated in the Department of Correction’s Therapeutic Community prison facility at Indian Creek Correctional Center, for past issues with addiction and alcoholism.  Since my release, I have maintained employment at Tyson Foods Corporation, and have not failed a single drug screen, for which I am tested regularly. Consequently, for the first time, I was recently awarded visitation rights by the courts with my only child, my 5-year-old-son, Stephen Thomas.

However, the authorities in Augusta County are seeking to prosecute me, now, nearly a full two (2) years later, for the previously mentioned alleged offenses. The authorities in Augusta County have refused our repeated efforts to simply make restitution for the broken items in question and are intent on sending me back to prison now, during this most stable period of my life.

Any plea or finding of guilt by the court in Augusta County will result in an immediate parole violation and return to prison for several years, for me. The devastation that this ordeal would cause my family, myself, and particularly my 5-year-old, is simply unimaginable.

Because of the clear racial dynamics of this case, given the constant race –oriented insults that I was subjected to by correctional officers at Middle-River Jail on the date of the incident two years ago, I am desperately requesting the interest, investigation, attention and support of  you, my fellow citizens.

I humbly request your assistance in bringing these matters to a logical, rational, and amicable conclusion.  Our community does not need yet another fatherless African-American child, or another unwarranted African-American prisoner.

The trial date is set for July 14th, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in Augusta County Circuit Court in Staunton VA . Any and all support is urgently and desperately needed. Thank you all for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

Steven L. Thomas ”

*****

Privatization of Prisons in the United States

(wikipedia) A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a local, state or federal government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with local, state, or federal governments that commit prisoners and then pay a per diem or monthly rate for each prisoner confined in the facility.

Today, the privatization of prisons refers both to the takeover of existing public facilities by private operators and to the building and operation of new and additional prisons by for-profit prison companies.

The Private Corrections Working Group of Jacksonville, FL, has a list of law suits brought against private prison corporations.

About Regional Jails in Virginia

According to the Virginia Association of Regional Jails (VARJ) web site:

“Presently, there are 18 regional jails in operation in Virginia, including Middle River Correctional Center in Staunton/Verona.  These 18 existing jails are comprised of approximately 76 counties, cities and towns and represent about 3.5 million citizens. They also employ approximately 1,000 staff with more to be hired in the future. Further, other localities around the state are in the “talking” stage of joining together and forming a regional jail, so we anticipate other regional jails coming on board over the next five years over and above what are now solidified.

History of Private Prisons in the U.S., and their Extraordinary Growth

(Wikipedia) – The privatization of prisons movement can be traced to the contracting out of confinement and care of prisoners after the American Revolution. Deprived of the ability to ship criminals and undesirables to the Colonies, Great Britain began placing them on hulks moored in English ports.

The partial transfer of San Quentin prison administration from private to public did not mark the end of privatization. The next phase began with the Reconstruction Period (1865-1876) in the south, after the end of the Civil War. Farmers and businessmen needed to find replacements for the labor force once their slaves had been freed. Beginning in 1868, convict leases were issued to private parties to supplement their workforce. This system remained in place until the early 20th century.

Federal and state government have had a long history of contracting out specific services to private firms, including medical services, food preparation, vocational training, and inmate transportation.

The 1980s, however, ushered in a new era of prison privatization. With a burgeoning prison population resulting from the War on Drugs and increased use of incarceration, prison overcrowding and rising costs became increasingly problematic for local, state, and federal governments. In response to this expanding criminal justice system, private business interests saw an opportunity for expansion, and consequently, private-sector involvement in prisons moved from the simple contracting of services to contracting for the complete management and operation of entire prisons.

The modern private prison business first emerged and established itself publicly in 1984 when the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) was awarded a contract to take over a facility in Hamilton County, Tennessee. This marked the first time that any government in the country had contracted out the complete operation of a jail to a private operator.

The following year, CCA gained further public attention when it offered to take over the entire state prison system of Tennessee for $200 million. The bid was ultimately defeated due to strong opposition from public employees and the skepticism of the state legislature. Despite that initial defeat, CCA since then has successfully expanded, as have other for-profit prison companies.

Private companies in the United States operate 264 correctional facilities, housing almost 99,000 adult offenders. Companies operating such facilities include the Corrections Corporation of America, the GEO Group, Inc, and Community Education Centers. (The GEO Group was formerly known as Wackenhut Securities.) Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has a capacity of more than 80,000 beds in 65 correctional facilities. The GEO Group operates 61 facilities with a capacity of 49,000 offender beds. Most privately run facilities include both state and federal offenders.

Because the government pays these private prison companies a certain amount of money per day per prison, it has been argued that there’s a built-in corporate profit motive to keeping as many prisons in jail for as long as possible.

Learn more:

Here is a Cornell University study on the Increase in Private Prisons in the United States.

Here’s an article about the link between increased incarceration in the United States, especially for black youth, and the move toward privatizing prison management.

Did You Know?

In the U.S.  (‘the land of the free”), on average, 1 in 100 people are incarcerated. The U.S. Government and their contractors house 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated people, while accounting for only 5 percent of the world’s population. In Virginia, 1 in every 89 people are incarcerated. (Source – using Bureau of Justice statistics)

The Democracy Index lists the U.S. as number 17 in the world. Read more. 

If you have a relevant content link or some facts you want to share about the issue of Prison Privatization, write your comment below this article.

Edinburg, VA – Felix and Oscar are alive and well, and so is Community Theater in the Shenandoah Valley. It enriches the lives of cast and audience members alike at every turn.

Just a reminder that auditions for Theater Shenandoah’s Fall production of the Neil Simon play, The Odd Couple, are scheduled for next weekend – Saturday July 17 from 3:30 – 6 p.m., and Sunday, July 18 from 1 to 5 p.m. Under the direction of the Theater’s new Artistic Director, Michael Gwin, the auditions will be held at the Opera House, located at 107 Center Street in Edinburg VA, 22824 (less than a block from Main Street/ Route 11).

Here is a synopsis of all the characters in the Odd Couple to help you in the audition:

The Particulars

- What: The Odd Couple

- Auditions: Saturday July 17 from 3:30 – 6 p.m., and Sunday, July 18 from 1 to 5 p.m. at The Opera House (Sides will be provided)

- Rehearsals: July 24 – September 9 (Schedule based on actors availability)

- Performances: Friday, September 10 at p.m., Saturday, September 11 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, September 12 at 3 p.m.

Character Breakdown -

As written, there are 6 men and 2 women in the play (unless they decide to again use some non-traditional casting for some of the male characters).

Oscar Madison
Oscar Madison is the “messy” half of this famous “odd couple.” Oscar takes pity on his best friend, the newly separated and nearly suicidal Felix Ungar, and invites Felix to live with him in his New York City apartment. Within two weeks, however, Oscar regrets the invitation. The 43-year-old Oscar is carefree, pleasant, and very appealing as a character. When asked by one of the poker players what kind of sandwiches he’s serving,

Oscar looks under the bread and says, “I got brown sandwiches and green sandwiches.” The green, he says, is “either very new cheese or very old meat.” At the end of the play there is a suggestion that Oscar’s experience with Felix has provoked a change in his personality because Oscar’s last words in the play are an admonishment to the poker players to be less messy.

In both the original Broadway stage production in 1965 and in the movie version of 1968, Oscar was played by Walter Matthau. In the five-year television series beginning in 1970, Oscar was played by Jack Klugman.

Murray
Murray, one of the poker players, is a policeman and a methodical, even slow, thinker. He is also very gentle and caring, and demonstrates the most concern for Felix. Murray is fairly unflappable, but he is also a bit simple and naive.

Cecily Pigeon
Cecily Pigeon is a little more uninhibited than her sister, Gwendolyn; she is the one who makes such suggestive remarks as, “Oh, we’ve done spectacular things but I don’t think we’d want it spread all over the telly.”

Gwendolyn Pigeon
Though the Pigeon sisters seem almost indistinguishable, Simon describes Gwendolyn as the “mother hen.” Like her sister Cicely, Gwendolyn is in her 30s, British, attractive, and works as a secretary for the Slenderama Health Club. She is a little slower mentally than her sister — she has trouble remembering Felix’s name.

Roy
Roy is Oscar’s accountant and a man with an acute sense of smell. He is the poker player who complains most about air quality and bad odors in Oscar’s apartment. In the second act he storms from the game because the fastidious Felix has put disinfectant on the playing cards.

Speed
As his name implies, Speed is always in a hurry. He is the impatient poker player — sarcastic, complaining, and even a little mean. As the curtain rises on Murray shuffling the cards with agonizing slowness, the caustic Speed has the play’s sharp first line: “Tell me, Mr. Maverick, is this your first time on the riverboat?”

Felix Ungar
Felix Ungar is the “neat” member of the “odd couple,” originally played on Broadway by Art Carney (he also played the character Norton on the popular Jackie Gleason television comedy The Honeymooners ). In the movie, the role was rendered by Jack Lemmon, and in the television series Tony Randall portrayed Felix.

A 44-year-old news writer for CBS, Felix responds to his wife’s decision to end their marriage by considering suicide, but in Simon’s comic world, attempted suicide is funny rather than serious; the compulsively tidy Felix sends his suicide note to his wife in a telegram. Oscar claims that Felix’s problem is an obsession with control and urges Felix to “let loose” once in a while, to do something he “feels” like doing rather than always doing what he thinks he’s “supposed” to do.

At the end of the play, when Felix accepts the invitation from the Pigeon sisters to stay in their apartment, he is perhaps demonstrating a less conventional aspect of his personality.

Vinnie
Vinnie, the last of the poker players, is nervous and eccentric. At the initial poker game he is constantly checking his watch because he wants to leave early — he’s departing for a vacation in Florida (in July) the next morning.

Other Audition Notes: In the event that there are those who can’t make the auditions, auditions are by appointment only. For the auditions, everyone will read from the script. There will be a  Theater Camp the week prior ton auditions, so Sides can be available for pick up at the Theater for those interested in picking them up ahead of time.

Visit the Theater Shenandoah web site.

Theater Shenandoah is a 501c3 non-profit community theater located in Edinburg, Virginia. If you have any questions or wish to assist the Theater financially, call (540) 984-3972.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Shenandoah Valley Education News: Dana A. Fisher, agricultural educator from Central High School in Woodstock, Va., (pictured) has been selected as the 2010 Virginia winner of the Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher Award – given by the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE).

Outstanding Ag Ed Teacher Award winners are agricultural educators who are at the pinnacle of their careers, conducting the highest quality agricultural education programs.  The award recognizes leadership in civic, community, and professional activities.  Award winners are innovators and catalysts for student success in agricultural education.

Fisher will compete against state Outstanding Ag Ed Teacher Award winners from surrounding states for the opportunity to be named the 2010 NAAE Outstanding Ag Ed Teacher for Region VI.  Regional winners will receive personal use of a Toyota Tundra pickup truck for two years, an expense paid trip to attend the 2010 NAAE convention in Las Vegas, and an invitation to a special awards dinner.

The NAAE Outstanding Ag Ed Teacher Award program is sponsored by Toyota as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

NAAE is the professional association for agricultural educators.  The mission of NAAE is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.”  The NAAE office is located in Lexington, Kentucky.

To see more Education News in the Shenandoah Valley, visit the Shenandoah County Schools web site.

[Photo credit: Rick Cooley]

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has released a list of more than 80 chemicals used in drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region.

WENY obtained the list and noted that some of the chemicals have been shown to harm human health.

View WENY video.

The chemicals used in hydrofracking in Pennsylvania include:

• Chemicals in the Benzyne family (Benzenes have been shown to increase the risk of leukemia with long-term exposure);
• Xylene (which has been shown to cause damage to embryonic development);
• Napthalene (long-terms exposure has led to respiratory disease);
• Propylene (has been shown to harm male reproduction);
• Monoethanolamine and related amines (which have been shown to adversely affect liver and kidney function);
• Formaldehyde (known carcinogen); and
• Chemicals in the Nitrilotriacetic acid family (known carcinogens).

“The quantities of these chemicals used in any particular drilling operation is unknown and not currently regulated; but we do know that the drilling process involves millions of gallons of water and the addition of these and other chemicals in significant quantities in sufficient proportion to that volume of water to do things like reduce drill friction, inhibit corrosion, and act as solvents.

It is also known that the chemicals involved in fracking can migrate to drinking water supplies and contaminate ground water and surface water.”

A more detailed information about the compounds listed above and other chemicals is available from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov

*****

Another great source of information on hydrofracking is the Water Portal on Source Watch – that has all of the latest news on this newly-applied method of natural gas extraction which is causing concern across the U.S. and the world. It includes a summary of pending legislation.

Closer to home – here in the Shenandoah Valley, we’re just now experiencing our first encounter with hydrofracking, as Carrizo Oil has requested a permit to hydrofrack for natural gas in the beautiful, small town of Bergton, Virginia in Rockingham County. The push is on to get hydrofracking regulations in place in Virginia before energy companies cause any damage here. Hopefully, we’ll listen and learn from our neighbors.

[The picture (above) of the rural country road was taken near Bergton, VA, the proposed site of the first hydrofracking operation in Virginia.]

Woodstock, VA – Several hundred parents, friends, and others volunteer for Shenandoah County Public Schools every year. At their June meeting, the Shenandoah County School Board expressed appreciation to all of those who volunteered during the last school year, and awarded plaques and special recognition to the Volunteers of the Year 2010.

“We could not do what we do without your help,” Gary Rutz, Chairman, commented. “We would not be what we are without your help.”

Terry Jackson, who volunteers one-half day a week in Elizabeth Horton’s kindergarten classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was named Elementary Level Volunteer of the Year. Ms. Jackson, whose presence enabled Ms. Horton to spend more time with students needing individualized instruction, worked to establish a “positive, encouraging relationship with every student in Ms. Horton’s classroom.” In addition, she coordinated book fairs and made costumes for students in the school musical.

Julie Smith, who volunteers at Signal Knob Middle School on a daily basis in Ms. Noonan’s classroom, was named Middle Level Volunteer of the Year, an award she has earned for the second time. Julie assisted with a long list of events and programs at the school and according to Principal Missy Hensley, her “impact on our school is like (that) of no other individual.” A Signal Knob staff member wrote, “Julie’s efforts are evident on the walls, in the halls, and in our hearts.”

Past PTO President and current President of the After-Prom Committee, Patty Pirtle, a parent volunteer at Stonewall Jackson High School, was named the Secondary Level Volunteer of the Year. Among other events, Patty has coordinated school blood drives and the Fun-N-Funkhouser Fundraiser for the Robby Funkhouser Scholarship. Lisa Gibson, Stonewall Jackson High School Spanish teacher, credits Patty with helping to recruit and organize other volunteers at the school.

Signal Knob Middle School student Josh Stickles was honored as the Student Volunteer of the Year. Josh has helped with FFA fundraisers and activities including Hometown Strasburg’s Adopt a Stream Town clean-up and Signal Knob’s FFA Veteran’s Day Breakfast. He has volunteered at Belle Grove Plantation, worked with the Lion’s Club Food Drive, and serves as acolyte at his church. Calling Josh a “role model” and a person who never says “a negative thing about anyone,” Missy Hensley, school principal wrote, “When Josh volunteers, he volunteers whole-heartedly from the very start to the very end.”

Mark Feaster, a long-time supporter of community swim programs for children and youth and more recently a fundraiser for the swimming program for Shenandoah County Public Schools, was named the At-Large Volunteer of the Year. In his presentation to the School Board, Jeremy Raley, Director of Budget, reported that it all began in 2001, when Mark and Saundra Feaster’s sons joined the Edinburg Ducks.

In 2005, Mark became team manager and in 2006 Saundra began coaching. Under their leadership, the Ducks team has grown to 80 swimmers, the largest team in the County. When economic difficulties and budget shortages made the future of a Shenandoah County Public Schools’ Swim Team questionable, the Feasters and the Shenandoah County Swim League went to work. Their efforts raised a total of $9000 in 2008 and 2009.

Dr. B. Keith Rowland, Superintendent of Shenandoah County Public Schools asked the League to contribute $5000 as a part of the 2010-2011 budget. Mr. Raley reported that the Feasters and the league “have accepted the task.”

Washington, D.C. – This month, Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte introduced bipartisan legislation – the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act – which will protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay, while also ensuring the strength and vitality of family farms and local communities within the Bay Watershed.

“The Chesapeake Bay, the argest estuary in the United States, is an incredibly complex ecosystem that includes important habitats and is a cherished part of our American heritage,” said Congressman Goodlatte.

“The Bay Watershed includes all types of land uses, from intensely urban areas, spread out suburban development and diverse agricultural practices. But, unquestionably, the Bay is in need and worthy of our attention and concern and I believe everyone has a role to play in restoring it.”

Congressman Goodlatte worked hard to ensure that the 2008 Farm Bill provided unprecedented incentive-based funding to help farmers and ranchers improve management practices, which would directly result in improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act is the next step in restoring and protecting the Bay.

There are other proposals to reauthorize the Bay Program. The goal of all involved is the same, the continued health and vitality of the Bay, but the map to that health and vitality is being strongly debated.

Unfortunately, proposals like the Presidential Executive Order, and legislation that would codify this order, which would force more mandates and overzealous regulations on all of those who live, work, and farm in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This strategy will limit economic growth and unfairly over regulate our local economies.

Goodlatte continued, “Instead of overregulation and intrusion into the lives and livelihoods of those who choose to make the Bay Watershed their home, the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act allows states and communities more flexibility in meeting water quality goals so that we can help restore and protect our natural resources.”

Specifically, the bill sets up new programs to give farmers, homebuilders, and localities new ways to meet their water quality goals.  The bill makes sure that the agencies are using common sense when regulating water quality goals for localities.

For over three decades Congress has been working to preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay.  Despite the efforts of the federal, state, and local governments the health of the bay is still in peril.  This bill calls for a review of the EPA’s Bay model. We often hear complaints from those who make good faith efforts to restore the Bay that their efforts are not being recognized by EPA’s Bay model.

EPA’s model does not account for any voluntary measures being undertaken on farms to control nitrogen and phosphorous nor does it even account for some of the nitrogen and phosphorous reductions that are being achieved through government programs, like USDA’S Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Effectively, EPA is ignoring nutrient reductions that have already been achieved.  This new legislation requires that an independent evaluator assess and make recommendations to alter EPA’s Bay model, so that we can develop a model that will capture all of the nutrient reductions that are happening in the Bay.

“The people who call the Bay Watershed home are the ones who are the most concerned about protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay,” said Congressman Goodlatte.

“Unfortunately, too often these hardworking individuals are cast as villains and placed in a position where restoring the Bay is pitted against the economic livelihoods of their communities.  We can restore the Bay while also maintaining the economic livelihood of these communities.  The Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act is the way we can do both. 

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Congress, so that we can pass this important legislation and work to restore the Chesapeake Bay.”

For more information, visit Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s web site.

The Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act has been referred to the House Agriculture Committee on which Congressman Goodlatte serves as the Ranking Member of the Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research Subcommittee.

Richmond, VA – Well, July 1, 2010 will be upon us soon. Here are some of the new laws voted by the Virginia legislature last session – that will go into effect later this week in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Citizens will want to be aware of these changes, as should visitors to Virginia, and those passing through.

While some of these laws seem straightforward and necessary, on the other hand, Virginia, like many others states, has increased the penalties and fines on its citizens to help raise money for its ailing state budget.

Changes in transportation laws in Virginia

** Texting, sending email, reading, and writing – while driving a car – is now illegal in Virginia. Be aware that the ban applies to cell phones, laptop computers, plus a host of other wireless communication devices.

According to many studies on the dangers of texting while driving, texting and driving is as dangerous as drunk driving. Virginia joins 27 others states in enacting this legislation.

The ban applies to reading or sending text messages or e-mails while driving. The texting ban is a secondary offense, meaning that individuals can be cited only after being stopped by police for another infraction. It carries a $20 fine for a first offense, and a $50 penalty for subsequent violations. Certain emergency situations will be exempt.

** The courts can now suspend the driver’s licenses of teens who miss 10 consecutive days of school. The law doesn’t apply in cases where a student has withdrawn from school for reasons beyond the student’s control, for transferring to another school, or when the student’s parent or guardian objects.

** Virginia now prohibits people from driving certain mopeds, motorized scooters, electric-powered bicycles and wheelchairs on the highway. Restricted vehicles under this law are those with a top speed of less than 35 mph. Violators of the law face a $50 fine.

** DUI – Drunk driving law changes in Virginia – Two new laws targeting drunken drivers go into effect on July 1, 2010.  One extends to 10 years from five the period of time within which a motorist convicted of a second drunken driving offense is required to have an ignition interlock installed in his or her vehicle. That device prevents a car from being started when an intoxicated driver breathes into it.

The other law clarifies the penalty for driving without a required ignition interlock, making that offense a Class 1 misdemeanor. Convicted offenders also will lose their license for one year.

** Those convicted of reckless or aggressive driving, or DUI in Virginia (see above) — will have to pay hefty fees of up to $1,000 per year for three years. The state says that the money will go toward improving roads.

** Parents in Virginia now have to put their kids in booster seats until they’re 7 instead of 5 years old.

* In Virginia, it now will be a misdemeanor to smoke within 20 feet of a gasoline pump — and if that pump catches fire, violators could face a year in jail.

** During the 2010 session, Virginia lawmakers voted to expand the Commonwealth’s Move Over law to include protection for tow truck drivers and highway workers.

As of July 1, 2010, those driving in Virginia must move over  when approaching a tow truck or highway maintenance vehicle displaying amber lights, change lanes away from the flashing lights if possible to do so safely, and/or proceed with caution given the prevailing highway conditions. The offense is punishable as a traffic infraction. Read more about the new Move Over driving laws in Virginia.

A law allowing senior citizens to take safe-driving courses online also goes into effect. Several new Virginia specialty license plates will now be offered, including an anti-abortion plate that bears the “Choose Life” slogan.

Election law changes in Virginia

** Allows voters to wear political T-shirts, buttons or other apparel to the polls. This  became an issue after the Virginia State of Elections had prohibited voters from wearing apparel with political slogans or candidates’ names at the polls on Election Day because of a state law that outlaws electioneering within 40 feet of the polling place.

** Lists of registered voters - Allows the State Board of Elections to furnish, for a reasonable fee, lists of registered voters to commissioners of the revenue and city or county treasurers for tax assessment, collection, and enforcement purposes.

In addition, a new law provides that, upon request and at a reasonable charge not to exceed the actual cost incurred, a political party or candidate is entitled to receive a copy of (i) the list of officers of election showing their party designation and assigned precinct and (ii) any instructions or information provided by the State Board to local electoral boards and registrars. The Board is required to post on the Internet its rules and regulations within three business days of their adoption.

**Political contributions – Provides that neither the Governor, his political action committee, nor any pertinent Secretaries shall knowingly solicit or accept a contribution, gift, or other item with a value greater than $50 from any bidder, offeror, or private entity who has submitted a bid or proposal pursuant to the Virginia Public Procurement Act, the Public-Private Transportation Act, or the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act during the bidding period.

The restrictions only apply if the stated or expected value of the contract is $5 million or more and do not apply to contracts awarded as the result of competitive sealed bidding. Furthermore, no bidder, offeror, or private entity who has submitted a bid or proposal under such acts shall offer or promise to make such a gift to the Governor, his political action committee, or any of his pertinent Secretaries. Any violation shall be a civil penalty of $500 or up to two times the amount of the contribution or gift, whichever is greater.

**Electronic election reforms – The bill provides that the State Board shall provide only electronic pollbooks, and not paper pollbooks, for any election held on or after November 1, 2010, and for all subsequent years and makes corresponding amendments that become effective on November 1, 2010.

Other Changes in Virginia law as of July 1, 2010

**Novelty cigarette lighters – Prohibit stores from selling novelty cigarette lighters to those under 18. Del. Algie Howell, D-Norfolk, introduced the legislation when he learned of local fire officials’ concerns over the lighters, which often resemble toys.

**Tax on Pay-Per-View movies in hotels - Imposes a 10 percent tax on pay-per-view movies in Virginia hotel rooms, with the money divided evenly between the general fund and a pool of money that provides incentives for filmmakers to shoot movies in Virginia. The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth.

** Concealed handgun information – Bars public access to a statewide database of Virginians with permits to carry concealed handguns. The public still could get information on concealed carry permit holders at each circuit court. The bill was introduced after The Roanoke Times posted the state police database of permit holders on its Web site.

In addition, friction with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg led to a new Virginia law that makes it a felony for anyone other than police to make straw purchases at gun shops. A “straw purchase” involves buying a gun for someone who’s not allowed to buy one.

This new  law is in response to sting operations ordered by Bloomberg, who sent undercover investigators to five states, including Virginia, to buy firearms after learning that 80-90 percent of guns used in crimes in New York City were purchased out of state. The city later sued 27 out-of-state gun dealers.

** Additional Pay Day Loan restrictions – Bars payday lenders in Virginia from offering different types of loans in an effort to get around tough new restrictions placed on the short-term, high-interest loans.

In reaction to a 2008 law, the majority of the state’s 800 payday lenders had begun offering open-end loans, which are unregulated and have sky-high interest rates.

** College-age suicide prevention – Virginia now will require its public colleges to create policies to identify and help suicidal students. The bill was signed 11 days before the Virginia Tech killings, in which a troubled student shot and killed 32 students and faculty and himself.

** Tanning for minors – Virginians 14 and under now need parental approval to go to a tanning salon.

Read about changes to Virginia mental health laws as of July 1, 2010.

Oh, by the way, The Commonwealth of Virginia will also be increasing the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph – for certain sections of its highways on July 1, 2010.

Warrenton, VA – Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) is hosting a special program at noon on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - featuring Matt Bowman, the professional wrestler known as “Wiseguy” Jimmy Cicero. This event is free and open to the public.

Wiseguy Jimmy Cicero was trained in 1993 in Indian Trail, North Carolina by the former WWF World heavyweight Champion, The “Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff. Cicero wrestled primarily in the Carolinas in his first few years of his career, teaming with Steve Storm and Brian Perry. Cicero also traveled up to Delaware to compete in Jim Kettner’s ECWA.

In the late 1990s, Cicero started to travel all across the south, and northeast ranging from Alabama to Canada and every state in between. Along the way Cicero learned valuable lessons from Tom Brandi, Buddy Landel and Axl Rotten all of whom Cicero considers to be his mentors.

Cicero also formed several successful tag teams with the likes of Julio Dinero, Cueball Carmichael and “King of Old School” Steve Corino. More valuable lessons were learned in feuds with such notables as Balls Mahoney, Bob Backlund and Big Slam Vader.

Cicero’s good friend, then got him the opportunity to compete for the WWE. Cicero went on to be a regular Northeast-based wretler for WWE TV tapings for the next few years.

After a brief hiatus, Cicero returned to the indies where he competed for such fine promotions as Steel City Wrestling, Maryland Championship Wrestling, Southern Championship Wrestling, GOUGE, APWF, NWA NJ, KYDA and NWA 2000. Cicero settled down and hung up his boots in 2006.

In early 2009, Jimmy Cicero’s young son was diagnosed with autism. Cicero and his wife, Windra, discussed what could be done to raise awareness for this serious and prevalent disability. The answer was easy: return to the ring.

In March of 2009, Wiseguy Jimmy Cicero made his return to professional wrestling with the purpose of raising awareness for Autism. Cicero and his wife report that the promoters, fellow wrestlers and the fans have simply been tremendous. Bowman’s mission continues with his awareness campaign, “Help Wiseguy Bodyslam Autism!”

The July 13th event – part of an ongoing College guest speaker series – will be held at LFCC’s Fauquier Campus - located at 6480 College Street, in Warrenton, Virginia.

*****

For more information on the July 13th event, interested individuals may contact Sandi Pope, LFCC Student Activities Adviser, at (540) 351-1512, or email her: spope ~at~ lfcc.edu.

For more information about Bowman, visit the Wiseguy Jimmy Cicero web site.  And, don’t miss the 1st State Championship Wrestling “Bodyslam Autism” Blowout – on July 17, 2010 -  in Lewes, DE (8 miles from Ocean City, MD) – featuring Jimmy Cicero, former WWE stars Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Tom Brandi, Big Slam Vader, and ECW legend Axl Roten.

*****

Founded in 1970, Lord Fairfax Community College is a comprehensive, multi-campus public institution of higher education. Through its three locations — the Fauquier and Middletown Campuses and the Luray-Page County Center — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont regions, offering more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines.

Woodstock, VA – Robert A. Belyea, Director of Special Education and Student Services for Shenandoah County Public Schools, has been selected as this year’s Special Education Director recipient of the James T. Micklem Award of Excellence for 2010 for the state of Virginia.

The award, initially called the Virginia Council of Administrators of Special Education (VCASE) Award of Excellence, was established in 1978 to recognize efforts made on behalf of exceptional children.  In 1988 it was renamed for James Michlem, the first State Director of Special Education, in recognition of his outstanding service and leadership.

Mr. Belyea began his career as a School Psychologist in 1973, and became the Special Education Director for Shenandoah County Public Schools in 1986.

Under Mr. Belyea’s leadership his school division has consistently scored among the top school divisions in the state on the State Performance Plan; established partnerships with private preschools to provide inclusive services to children with disabilities; worked with a regional program to embed a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst in the school division to coordinate services for children on the Autism Spectrum; facilitated an in-home service model for families with very young children on the Autism Spectrum; was one of the first divisions to successfully established a software program to assist teachers writing IEPs; assisted in developing low cost local alternatives to sending severely disabled students out of county; and developed an innovative recruitment program to bring special education teachers to teach in the division.

Mr. Belyea has served as a mentor to new Special Education Directors, assisted VCASE on several issues and currently serves as the Region IV Representative to the State Special Education Council.

Mr. Belyea was also instrumental in developing the Wellness Fair for all school division employees as part of the division’s Wellness plan. He will represent Virginia for the outstanding administrators’ award at the national CASE level.

Shenandoah is one of 20 national parks kicking off “Let’s Move Outside Junior Ranger.”  Led by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, the program provides tools and information to parents to make it easy to enjoy the outdoors and be active and healthy. It is part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s nationwide campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation.

“Young people inspire us; we want to help them be healthy and curious for
life. It starts with family fun. We want to help parents learn the skills
they need to enjoy the outdoors with their kids,” National Park Service
Director Jon Jarvis said.

Young people who complete at least one physical activity in pursuit of
their Junior Ranger badge receive a special sticker that designates them as
a Let’s Move Outside Junior Ranger. The activities range from adventures
like hiking with a ranger to body surfing and canoeing.

“Shenandoah’s Let’s Move Outside Junior Ranger program offers kids and
parents the chance to hike on park trails during a Ranger-led Junior Ranger
Program or on their own with one of three Ranger Explorer Guides. These
activities are not only great exercise, but also provide incredibly fun
ways to see and learn about the park,” Superintendent Martha Bogle said.

More than 1,600 visitors participated in Ranger-guided Junior Ranger
programs in 2009, which are enjoyed by children of all ages.  Ranger
Explorer guides, targeted for kids 13 and older, provide an opportunity to
experience hiking on Stony Man Mountain, in Shenandoah’s Wilderness and on the Appalachian Trail.

Information about Shenandoah’s Junior Ranger and Ranger Explorer programs can be found on this web page.

By summer’s end, 50 national parks will offer Let’s Move Outside Junior
Ranger programs. Before heading out, families can look at www.letsmove.gov/outside for more information about activities and participating parks. This website hub will link families to the great outdoors and give tips and ideas on how to best plan and enjoy an active adventure.

All total, The National Park Service provides 84 million acres to explore, so there are many places and ways to move outside.

Examine the facts for yourself

Here are 37 issues that an attorney has asked the Virginia regulators to explain – regarding the permit by a large energy company to drill for natural gas in the Shenandoah Valley:

*****

June 7, 2010

Re: Application of Carrizo (Marcellus) LLC to drill exploratory gas well in Bergton, VA – Application # 16035

“We are working with a group of citizens in Rockingham County concerned about the circumstances surrounding the above proposed hydrofracture gas well drilling in the floodplain at Bergton. Because this is apparently the first such Virginia application of its kind, and because of the innumerable serious pollution and other problems this activity has caused in other states, leading to multiple calls for moratorium on hydrofracture
drilling, we request some clarification from your agency on the following issues.

Because the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors (BOS) could take up the tabled matter again at any time, your prompt reply will be much appreciated.

1. The Permit Application #16035 is described as “a Marcellus Shale test well.” Should gas be discovered, would Carrizo need to obtain an additional permit from DMME to actually produce gas?

2. Do DMME inspectors have Marcellus Shale drilling experience with the methods proposed to be used at the Ennis site for the test well, and for methods that might be used to actually produce gas from a subsequent well?

3. What guidelines does DMME use to establish the criteria under which hydrofracture drilling permits using the method proposed at the Ennis site are approved? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

4. What are the guidelines governing DMME’s coordination with other governmental agencies, (national, state, or local) before it issues a permit such as #16035? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

5. The proposed site is in a 100-year floodplain, though it has a history of flooding far more frequently than that. Did DMME take this into consideration before approving the permit?

6. What steps, if any, were taken to address the environmental and health risks posed by the fact that the site is in a floodplain?

7. Did DMME in fact consult any other governmental agencies (national, state, or local) before approving #16035? If so, which agencies did it consult?

8. Does the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality retain any oversight authority over the proposed activity once the permit is approved and issued? If so, what is the extent of its authority?

9. If the drilling activity goes forward, will any other governmental agencies (federal, state, or local) be involved in overseeing, regulating, monitoring, and testing the environmental impact of, the activity? If so, what agencies?

10. Do DMME inspectors have Erosion and Sediment Control Inspector Certification by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation?

11. Hydrofracture drilling has been known to use extremely toxic chemicals. A list of 345 of them with substantial product and toxicological information can be found at this web site. The spreadsheet of
these chemicals found at that site is attached to the same email that conveys this letter. Companies have often asserted proprietary reasons for refusing to disclose the chemical makeup of drilling and hydrofracture chemicals.

Will DMME know, prior to their use, exactly what chemicals will be used either in the drilling or hydrofracture portions of this activity?

12. What criteria will DMME use to allow or disallow certain chemicals in drilling or hydrofracture? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

13. Hydrofracture drilling, especially in the Marcellus formation, has been known to produce radioactive solids and wastewater. Has DMME taken this fact into consideration in approving permit #16035?

14. What requirements are placed upon the permit applicant to deal with radioactive waste?

15. We understand that the permit has been “approved” but not “issued.” Is this correct? What conditions must be met before DMME issues the permit?

16. Given the potential damage that can be caused by this activity, and the actual damages suffered by a number of communities in other states, how much is the performance bond that Carrizo will be required to post, or other demonstration of financial responsibility, for this site?

17. On April 5, 2010, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wrote a strongly-worded letter to the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors, copy to DMME, raising environmental concerns about this proposed permit. A copy is for your convenience. Will DMME take into consideration the contents of this letter before issuing the permit?

18. If the activity goes forward, will DMME inspect the site and conduct chemical and radiation testing regularly? On what schedule will this occur?

19. Will other state or federal agencies be allowed access to inspect the site if they desire to do so?

20. On page 10 of the Carrizo application, under “Analysis of mud medium/drilling medium/oil based fluid medium attached/filed:” the box “Does Not Apply” is checked. Does this mean that DMME will not know what chemicals are used in the process, since the application further states that it is possible that such fluids might be needed? Does other agency have oversight of such?

21. Also on page 10, under “SPCC Plan Required by EPA,” the box “No” is checked. Under what criteria did DMME determine that the proposed activity will have an acceptable level of environmental impact?

22. A Blooey pit lined with 30 mil plastic is approved. Did DMME take into account the fact that the site lies in a floodplain before approving this method of fluid storage?

23. On page 13, “Disposal of Drilling Fluid” is marked “Yes-Approved.” What is the method of fluid disposal that is approved?

24. “Fresh Water” is also marked “Yes-Approved.” Is this an approval of a source of obtaining fresh water, and if so, what source is approved?

25. “Disposal of Produced Fluids” is marked “Yes-Approved.” What is “approved?” That is, how will the produced fluids, or wastewater, be disposed of?

26. Is a copy of any agreement with the local wastewater treatment facility for receiving site wastewater available? If so, may we have a copy of it?

27. “Salt Water” is marked “Yes-Approved.” What does this mean?

28. On page 14, under “Lacking,” is the comment, “Discuss the disposal of produced fluid.” Has this discussion taken place? If so, what was decided?

29. The Drill Pad Narrative on the application notes a “sediment containment area on the southwest corner of the construction site.” This is not shown on the site plan sketch. How will this be achieved?

30. Allegedly, the applicant may not spray or otherwise land-apply wastewater on the site. Where in writing is the restriction prohibiting such?

31. The site plan and narrative does not address the containment and disposal of wastewater. How will this be accomplished?

32. The plans show areas labeled “Fluid Dispersal Area[s]”. Are these areas in which wastewater and other toxic fluids may be applied?

33. The following statement is made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “If chlorides and other parameters meet Virginia requirements, the water will be discharged onto adjacent ground via sprayer heads or soaker hoses with no runoff accepted”. Will DMME make the determination of what is acceptable? What are the guidelines that determine what is acceptable? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

34. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “If they do not meet Virginia requirements, they will be diluted to below discharge requirements if possible. They will then be discharged as before.” This would appear to allow the dilution of toxic wastewater with more water and then dumping or spraying it on the same ground.

Is this an acceptable method? Has DMME determined that this is environmentally sound? Does dilution of toxic wastewater with more water do anything to protect surface and underground waters?

35. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “Arrangements have been made with Harrisonburg -Rockingham Regional Sewer Authority for disposal of fluids if they cannot
be spray discharged as planned.” We have reason to believe that the Sewer Authority does not have the capability to dispose of the toxic wastewater that will be produced by this drilling activity.

Has DMME checked to see if such “arrangements” have been made? Are they in writing? If so, may we have a copy of them? If such “arrangements” have not actually been made, is this grounds for revocation or nonissuance of the permit? If DMME has not already done so, we request that it verify the accuracy of the statement that such “arrangements” have been made.

36. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “Drill solids will be collected in the drilling pit during operations. They will have as much associated water as practical initially until removal during the remediation phase. After drilling, the pit chlorides and other parameters will be evaluated to determine disposal method.”

Will DMME evaluate these parameters? What criteria will DMME use? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

37. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “A Pit Disposal Permit will be sought from the VA DMME. It is planned to sequester andencapsulate the cuttings with the pit liner and additional liner installed on the top. It is then planned to bury the cuttings a minimum of 4’ below ground level. If this approach is unattainable, arrangements have been made with the Rockingham County
Landfill  for disposal.”

Does the Rockingham County Landfill have a permit for accepting drill cuttings, wet or dry? Does it have a radiation detector installed to monitor NORM levels in such cuttings? Has DMME checked to see if such “arrangements” have been made? Are they in writing? If so, may we have a copy of them? If such “arrangements” have not actually been made,
is this grounds for revocation or non-issuance of the permit? If DMME has not already done so, we request that it verify the accuracy of the statement that such “arrangements” have been made.

We thank you in advance for answers to these important issues. Should the permit in question be issued, it will be precedent-setting.”

*****

Many in the Shenandoah Valley are working to try and prevent the same travesties that have occurred with hydrofracking in PA, NY, CO, WV, and other states, and looking to have legislation ready to regulate hydrofracking in Virginia when the next General Assembly meets in Richmond in  January 2011.

New York legislators, for example, are calling for a 2-year moratorium on this controversial  form of natural gas drilling until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  has an opportunity to investigate the health and environmental effects of hydrofracking – and communicate that information out to US citizens. The same must happen in Virginia.

It would be unbelievably pitiful if the beautiful Shenandoah Valley is ruined because of the greed of large energy companies, whether they be drilling for gas or electric. We know only too well how that looks as we see the devastation in the Gulf each day – and hear about the other states where hydrofracking has already harmed the landscape, water supply, and health of residents.

(A quick Google search on hydrofracking  in any of our neighboring states to the North- Pennsylvania, New York, or West Virginia – results in dozens of examples of the harm caused to normal citizens like you and me.)

The natural gas drilling permit referred to in the letter above represents the first permit that’s been applied for in the Shenandoah Valley. That’s why this case will set a precedent. Once one permit is issued, “the floodgates are open” for more permits and more drilling – all across the Valley.

After discussions with the attorney who wrote this letter, it’s our understanding that this permit has been approved  – but not yet officially issued – by the DMME, but that the Board of Supervisors of Rockingham County, Virginia, must also approve a “special use permit” before drilling can begin on the site in Bergton ( located in Rockingham County – right outside of Harrisonburg, VA).

On the hydrofracking issue, the Gulf Oil spill, bank bailouts, and many other issues – it’s the people – it’s regular folks like you and me – that can and must take action together to oppose corporate bailouts – corporate protectionism – and corporate greed. It’s our country.

Legislators who don’t represent the peoples’ interest must be voted out. It’s becoming clear that party affiliation doesn’t matter.

What matters is: Who will stand up to big business and big government – with worrying about getting re-elected, or hurting their own standing?

Who is your elected official working for – whether at the county, state or national level?

We must break from our normal routines and stand up, and demand accountability. If not us, then who?

*****

Citizens actions that can be taken regarding hydrofracking:

1. Those living in Rockingham County who want to see this stopped should contact their county supervisor and let their opinion be known.

Pablo Cuevas is the Chairman of the Rockingham County Board of Supervsiors, and he’s also the representative from District 1 that includes the proposed Bergton natural gas drilling site. Time is of the essence as the Supervisors will be voting on the special use permit at some point. The exact date of the vote is unclear. They are currently “studying the situation,” but could call a vote at any time.

Here is Pablo’s contact information:

Email: pcuevas@rockinghamcountyva.gov

Phone: (540) 896-7889.

2. There are 23 other counties in Virginia where there is Marcellus shale – where it’s possible that Carrizo, or other large energy companies, will apply for drilling permits. If you are against this issue, contact your county supervisor and let him/her know BEFORE a drilling permit is entertained by your county.

3. Contact Tony Wilt, the new House of Delegates representative for the Rockingham County area and let him know your opinion. He lives is nearby Broadway, VA. Here is his contact information:

Email: tony@tonywiltfordelegate.com

Phone:  (540) 810-4462

4. Or, contact Mark Obenshain, the Virginia state senator serving Rockingham County. Here is his contact information:

Email: mark@markobenshain.com

Phone: (540) 437-1451 (District office)
(804) 698-7526 (Richmond)

5. If you live elsewhere in Virginia, contact your own House delegate and/or state Senator and let them know your opinion on hydrofracking in the Valley, and across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

6. You can contact the Division of Gas and Oil at the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) directly at:

Email:DmmeInfo@dmme.virginia.gov

Phone: (804) 692-3200 – in Richmond.

7. Additional community meetings will be held across Virginia on  hydrofracking. Check back here – on 7Bends.com. We’ll be publicizing details about citizen forums and discussion sessions before they happen. And, we’ll keep you informed on the move to get hydrofracking regulations on the books in Virginia in the 2011 Legislative Session.

*****

To learn more about the hydrofracking issue:

There are a number of great articles that have been written by the Daily News Record, hburgnews.com, and some national reporters on this issue. You can Google those as you wish. There are also a number of great video clips out there showing what a hydro fracking site looks like, and its effects on the surrounding people and communities. (We’ll be featuring these clips on 7Bends as they come in… )

Educate yourself

As an independent online news source for the Shenandoah Valley, 7Bends.com does not have any political or economic constraints on what we publish. We will give you everything we find on the subject, uncensored.

Here are the articles 7Bends.com has published on hydrofracking in Virginia since May 2010:

May 22 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/22/gasland-film-chronicles-natural-gas-drilling-dangers/

May 22 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/22/eminent-domain-status-application-to-lay-gas-pipeline-across-your-property/

May 24 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/24/county-decision-natural-gas-drilling-in-virginia/

May 26 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/26/world-renowned-scientist-illuminates-health-effects-of-water-contamination-from-fracking/

June 15 - http://7bends.com/2010/06/15/hydrofracking-in-virginia-is-hot-issue-in-tony-wilts-victory-tonight-in-t26th-district/

]]> http://7bends.com/2010/06/21/read-attorneys-letter-sent-to-virginia-officials-about-permit-for-hydrofracture-gas-drilling-in-bergton/feed/ 3 http://7bends.com/2010/06/14/rotary-club-of-woodstock-award-12-scholarships/ http://7bends.com/2010/06/14/rotary-club-of-woodstock-award-12-scholarships/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:40:07 +0000 Press_Release http://7bends.com/?p=5457 Woodstock, VA – A total of one dozen scholarships have been awarded to local Shenandoah Valley students by the Rotary Club of Woodstock, announced President Michael Monahan this week.

Six graduating students from Central High School in Woodstock, VA earned scholarships, including:  Dyllan Chapins, Thomas Currie, Gillian Dellinger, Aaron Heishman, Courtney Scraggs and Ethan Wilson.

Six additional scholarships were also provided to Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, VA. Officials there handle the selection process.

Scholarships have been a major community project of the Woodstock Club since its formation, 85 years ago.  Hundreds of scholarships have been provided over the years.  Since 2005 alone, more than $50,000 in college scholarships has gone to local students.

The Foundation of the Rotary Club of Woodstock funds some of the scholarships through the Kraus Endowment provided by the estate of Marlin Kraus.  Another scholarship comes from a Hilton family endowment in the name of Burchell Hilton, former Superintendent of schools for Shenandoah County, Virginia.  Fund raising activities throughout the year provide additional funding, according to Rotary Scholarship Chair, William D. Gentry.

The Rotary Club of Woodstock has more than 70 members who live by the Rotary 4-way test, a code of integrity practiced worldwide. Every Rotarian is welcome to attend any weekly Rotary meeting anywhere in the world.

For more details, visit the Rotary Club of Woodstock website.

Woodstock, VA – Forty years ago, the Agriculture students at Central High School in Woodstock, Virginia, planted a former pasture with pine trees, in the hopes of raising funds for their department and the FFA chapter.  The trees in what is now called the Nature Trail have grown through the years, and the area has been used for everything from elementary school field trips to science class explorations, forestry training, and even a mock wedding.

Turn the time machine to 2010 … Part of that same area is now set for a major renovation, as Central’s current Agriculture students have created a plan to develop an arboretum containing native forest trees of Virginia.

A Labor of Love for More than 50 years

When Central High School opened in Woodstock in 1959, there were no gas stations, banks or even trees to hide it from Route 11.  That all changed when land donated to the agriculture department by Dr. Miller of Woodstock was planted with pine trees.  In an effort to secure long-term funding for the department, agriculture students back then planted a mixture of eastern white pine and loblolly pine trees on the land between Central High School (CHS) and the railroad tracks.  These plantings took place between 1969 and 1971.

Since, the “pines” have become a fixture at CHS, as they have taken on multiple purposes over their forty years.  Though the area has always been used for educating students in forest management practices, it began to take on a new role in the early 1990s.

Giving to the Environment, the Community and Future Generations

Through the FFA’s Building Our American Communities program (BOAC), the students created a set of trails, built a bridge over a drainage area, and installed some permanent benches.  The trail now also contains the Falcon Adventure Learning Center, a low-ropes activity course and an outdoor classroom and stage.

More recently, students in the CHS Natural Resources courses have spent the past year developing a plan for the future of the Nature Trail, with the help of the Virginia Department of Forestry.  Due to overcrowding of the current trees and the ever-present threat of insect infestation, the students decided to remove about two acres of the existing trees, in order to re-plant the area with a combination of native trees that will include up to forty new species.  Adding tree diversity to the area will not only reduce the impact of insects, but will also provide a greater opportunity for education.  The students hope that the area can be used by students throughout the county and by the community, as well.

In addition to the removal of trees, the students have also planned to have a portion of the trail thinned to about half of its current population.  In the years to come, the arboretum will be an example of the benefits of managing a forested area, to allow strong trees to reach their full growth potential.

Their Summer Project will extend into Fall, and Beyond

In keeping with the original plan for the area, any proceeds will be used to support the agriculture program and the Central FFA chapter.  Tree removal will start this July, and be completed before students return to school.  Students will mark new trails and prepare the area for planting this fall.  New trees, obtained from the Department of Forestry and other sources, will be planted in the Spring of 2011.

The students at Central High School are considering the generations that follow after them; they hope that the new arboretum containing native forest trees of Virginia will serve the school and the community for another forty years.

*****

If you or your company or organization would like to support the students’ effort, contact Central High School at (540)459-6222.

The school division conducted a statewide search to fill this leadership position. The search was a competitive process which included over forty candidates. Mr. Knesh will assume this role, after serving as an assistant principal and teacher at Warren County High School for the past eleven years.

Mr. Knesh is from Pennsylvania and completed his undergraduate studies at California University of Pennsylvania and furthered his education by completing the Masters of Education program at the University of Phoenix.

Mr. Knesh is currently a resident of Warren County where he lives with his wife and daughter. Upon hearing the news of his appointment, Mr. Knesh stated that he was “excited about the opportunity and very impressed by both the quality of the school and community.”

Shenandoah School District Superintendent, Dr. Keith Rowland remarked: “We are very confident that Mr. Knesh is the right choice for the position, and we look forward to him adding a new chapter to the successful academic tradition at Strasburg High School.”

For additional information contact Dr. Rowland’s office at (540) 459-6702.

[Photo: The Strasburg High School Rams - mascot.]

“Shenandoah” explores the conflict when it seems life has been reduced into a brother against brother situation. Both sides must wrestle with what they see and believe, and act accordingly. Peace can follow, and will.

The play is running at the famous Wayside Theater in the historic Shenandoah Valley, the region that was in fact the dividing point between the Federal government and the Confederacy. It was here that the decisive battles of the war were fought – from Antienam all the way down the Valley.

The play runs through July 3, 2010, and is suitable for children. In fact, children make up much of the cast, and thus the play also becomes a teaching vehicle, in addition to an enjoyable outing. The play was written by Gary Geld, Peter Udell, Phillip Rose and James Lee Barrett.

For a list of performance dates and prices, and to order tickets, click here. All pictures were taken by Westervelt Photography.

The United States of America  – The excessive use of taser guns (also called “stun guns”) by police squads in the the U.S. has not been covered much by the traditional media. Why? And, likewise , why has there been little public debate on the use of these weapons on the U.S. population? And finally, why in some jurisdictions, are taser guns illegal for citizens to own, yet the police can use them on citizens?

Immediately following the national news report a few days ago that an illegal Mexican immigrant was killed by a taser gun (“electronic control device”) at the California border, now today stories are writing the incident off – saying it was “attributed to the immigrant’s drug use.” This particular man  may have be on drugs, who knows, but the deflection from the subject at hand – the use of tasers by law enforcement on anyone – is what is at issue.

The Facts

- The United Nations has declared them an instrument of  “torture.” The United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT), an agency charged with overseeing the application of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, arrived at the conclusion on November 23, 2007, that the use of the electric pulse Taser gun constitutes a “form of torture” and “can even provoke death.” The U.N. has thus declared: “TASER electronic stun guns are a form of torture that can kill.

- In Britain, where taser guns (“electric shock weapons”) have been used longer than in the U.S., their use by police there continues to escalate. In some areas, there’s been as much as a 300 percent increase in taser use and abuse by police on U.K. citizens in the last year alone.

A Daily Mail article on August 17, 2009 in the U.K., entitled ” Police Taser gun use up by nearly a third,” reports: ” The Government has put large numbers of Tasers in the hands of police officers without any debate.

Police officers fired Tasers 226 times in the first three months of this year. Police use of Taser stun guns has increased by nearly a third, figures revealed today.

Officers fired the electro-shock weapons 226 times in the first three months of this year – up from 174 in the last three months of 2008. The sharp rise followed the decision to allow forces in England and Wales to give Tasers to officers who do not carry traditional firearms. Critics said the 50,000-volt guns were in danger of becoming ’standard issue’.”

The use of taser guns on citizens  in Canada is also a growing concern.

Likewise, here in the United States … there are hundreds of incidents where citizens are dying and tasers are being used in some cases on the elderly, on children, and on the mentally-ill. Abuse by tasers has also been cited in numerous cases even after a suspect has been tasered and arrested.

Recent use of tasers by Massachusetts police, for example, is on the rise. (Incidentally, it is illegal in Massachusetts for a citizen to own a Taser.)

Boston.com reports: “Police in Massachusetts cities and towns have sharply expanded their use of Tasers to control criminal suspects over the last three years, despite a call for suspension of the stun gun’s use so experts can study its risks.

The police in Massachusetts communities reported using Tasers in 229 incidents between September 2007 and September 2008, a fourfold increase from three years earlier, according to state figures. Police used Tasers on the mentally ill and substance abusers, and in some instances shocked a person multiple times.

The report said some of the deaths appear to be associated with heart problems. It also criticized the use of Tasers on the mentally ill, the elderly, or children, and it pointed out that a shock from a Taser, which causes a sudden loss of muscle control, can lead to injuries if subjects fall on hard surfaces.”

- The National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, although citing their legitimate role, also acknowledges the health risks, especially in cases where they are used too aggressively.

Their web site says that exposure to Tasers “is safe in the vast majority of cases,” particularly with “normal healthy adults.” However, the agency said, its safety assurances “may not be applicable in small children, those with diseased hearts, the elderly, those who are pregnant, and other at-risk individuals.”

I ask you – How does a police officer know a person’s health conditions before they shoot them with a laser? The answer: They don’t.

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What are the Health Effects from taser guns?

Way back in November 2004, Amnesty International released its report calling for a suspension on the use and transfer of taser weapons by the police.

Their report concluded:

“Since June 2001, more than 150 people have died in the U.S.A. after being shocked by a Taser. The number of taser0related deaths has been rising each year in the United States.

There were three deaths reported in 2001, 13 in 2002, 17 in 2003 and 48 in 2004. In 2005, there were 61 Taser-related deaths, and by the mid- February 2006,  there have already been 10 deaths.

We have gathered information from press, autopsy reports and police and paramedic reports and statements from coroners’/medical examiners’ offices.

Of the 152 Taser-related deaths documented by Amnesty International through 2004:

- Most of those who died in custody were unarmed and were not posing a serious threat to police officers, members of the public, or themselves;
- Those who died were generally subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks
- Use of the Taser was often accompanied by the use of restraints and/or chemical incapacitant sprays;
- Many of those who died had underlying health problems, such as heart conditions or mental illness, or were under the influence of drugs; and
- Most of those who died went into cardiac or respiratory arrest at the scene.

Amnesty International considers that the use of the Tasers in many of the cases which resulted in death was excessive, amounting in some cases to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. In many of the cases reviewed by AI, those who came in contact with the police were not armed, or had already been restrained.

For example, Russell Walker, aged 47, died after being tasered by Las Vegas police officers on June 7, 2005. Officers were called to a hotel at 8pm when Walker was reported as creating a disturbance. Officers tasered him when he began to struggle with them, and they then placed him in handcuffs.

Once handcuffed, Russell Walker again began struggling and the Taser was used again. The Taser was used a third and final time when Walker had been placed on a gurney, and he then stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead at hospital at 9 pm.

Although the Las Vegas policy on Tasers stipulates that they may not be used on handcuffed suspects, and may not be used multiple times, a grand jury inquest into the death of Russell Walker found that the actions of the officers were justified. The coroner in the case ruled that Russell Walker died of “heart arrhythmia during restraint procedures,” and commented that the struggle with officers together with the amount of cocaine Walker had ingested was a “recipe for disaster”.

Report Shows Eighty percent of U.S. Citizens Tasered by Police were Unarmed

The head of the U.S. southern regional office of Amnesty International, Jared Feuer, noted that about 80 percent of those on whom a Taser was used by U.S. police were unarmed (in the period between June 2001 and October 2007.)

Feuer asserts: “Tasers interfere with a basic equation, which is that force must always be proportional to the threat,” Feuer said. “They are being used in a situation where a firearm or even a baton would never be justified.”

Similarly, from the medical community, a study published by the American Journal of Cardiology  found that California police departments that introduced Tasers experienced significant increases in the numbers of in-custody sudden deaths and firearm deaths in the first full year following deployment.

Tasers being used post-arrest, too – There are also concerns that the taser guns are being used on U.S. citizens even after they are arrested to control them.

Amnesty International has received numerous reports of Tasers being used in the booking sections of prisons and jails, often on intoxicated or mentally disturbed individuals in order to gain compliance.

Amnesty International considers that Taser use in many of these situations -on individuals who are already in a controlled environment, unarmed and not posing a serious threat to themselves or officers – constitutes an excessive use of force, sometimes amounting to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

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Citizen Use Already Becoming More Restricted in the U.S.

Now, the flip side. This article so far as focused on the increased use and abuse of tasers on U.S. citizens by U.S. police. But, the other side of the equation appears to be just as strong. At the same time as police use is increasing, the number of U.S. citizens allowed to own Tasers is steadily decreasing.

In which states is it legal for citizens to own a Taser?

Taser devices are considered firearms by the U.S. government. Currently, they can be legally carried (concealed or open) without a permit in 43 states. The states which currently prohibit citizens from owing and using a taser gun include: Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Isalnd, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin – and the District of Columbia.

Connecticut and Illinois allow citizen use of taser guns, but with restrictions.

But, the caveat to this list is: “Check your local laws on carrying electronic control devices.” It is true that many individual jurisdictions – usually by county ordinance – have already banned taser gun ownership by citizens, even while the state still allow it.

Increasingly, and again with little public debate, the effort seems to be on banning the use of taser guns by citizens, while formally instituting the use of taser guns by the police.

Examples include the following statutes against citizens owning taser guns  (stun guns) in the Maryland suburbs of D.C., even while the state of Maryland officially does not prohibit it.  Many of the bans are county ordinances:

Anne Arundel County
§ 9-1-603. Electronic weapons – prohibited acts.
(a) Definition. In this section, “electronic weapon” means a “stun gun” or any similar device by whatever name that is designed as a weapon capable of injuring an individual by the discharge of electrical current.
(b) Scope. This section does not apply to a law enforcement officer acting within the scope of the officer’s official duties.
(c) Prohibitions. A person may not sell, give away, lend, rent, or transfer an electronic weapon in the County. A person may not possess or discharge an electronic weapon in the County.

Howard County
Sec. 8.404.  Sale or possession of electronic weapons prohibited.
(a)   Prohibitions.  It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to sell, give away, lend, rent or transfer to any individual, firm or corporation an electronic weapon within the limits of Howard County. It further shall be unlawful for any person to possess, fire, discharge or activate any electronic weapon within the limits of Howard County.
(b)   Exceptions.  Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to:
(1)   A public safety officer acting within the scope of the officer’s official duties; or
(2)   The sale, rental, or transfer of an electronic weapon to a department, office, or agency of Howard County.
(C.B. 38, 1985; C.B. 7, 2007, § 1)

Baltimore County
§ 17-2-104.  STUN GUNS.
(a) Definitions.
(1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.
(2) (i) “Stun gun” means any portable, electronic shock transmitting device that is designed and intended to incapacitate an individual’s neuromuscular system by the discharge of nonprojectible electric current.
(ii) “Stun gun” does not include bona fide medical equipment.
(3) “Law enforcement personnel” means a full-time member of a police force or other agency of the United States, a state, county, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision  who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of laws.
(b) Prohibition.
(1) Except for law enforcement personnel while in the performance of official duties, a person may not use, possess, or discharge a stun gun.
(2) A person may not sell, offer to sell, rent, offer to rent, transfer, or offer to transfer a stun gun to a person unless the person is law enforcement personnel.
(c) Penalty.  A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or both.
(1988 Code, § 20-44)  (Bill No. 114-99, § 3, 7-1-2004)

Women, increasingly, are looking at carrying a stun gun as a self defense measure. Many times, however, the tasers sold to consumers have far less fire power than the ones used by law enforcement.

How can I find out about the taser gun laws in my state?

In my research, Proactive Shooters, a business that trains people how to use guns safely, provided the best overall of the current laws in all 50 states.

You can reference the spreadsheet: 7-2007 State Statute Summary – Tasers.

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In Conclusion – Another Case of Overpowering the Populace

In the U.K., home affairs spokesman Tom Brake recently remarked: “‘Tasers should be for a few specially trained officers, not standard issue. The Government has put large numbers of Tasers in the hands of police officers without any debate.

Given the increase in Taser use and the fact they have killed hundreds of people in the United States, we must have a full public debate before we slip any further down the slope to fully armed US-style policing.”

Here, at least in this case, the U.S. is being held up as the nation who arms police against its own citizens. Is that what we want? Is that what we have become?

A group of citizens in Bradenton, Florida, says “no” to that. And so hopefully, will many more citizens. In December 2009, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a large civil rights organization,  marched to the Bradenton Police Department in response to the September 28, 2009 death of Derrick Humbert, a 38-year-old man, after he was Tasered by an officer.

The U.S. Department of Justice also plans to review materials submitted to decide whether Derrick Humbert’s case, as well as two other cases in Florida, warrants an external investigation.

Washington, D.C. – Thomas Jefferson wrote: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”

It seems we have a Government that because of political and economic pressure – and greed – lets corporations (BP, Halliburton, Transocean) pollute the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, and kill marine life, and part of our food chain (i.e. seafood) for years out.

Our Government’s inaction threatens the very livelihood, health and property values of many U.S. citizens all along the U.S. Gulf Coast … and then at the very same time, today – this same Government purposely votes to weaken the Miranda rights of U.S. citizens, and our protection as U.S. citizens under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

This is bunk.

Citizens must see the situation for what it is – a grab for it all, for money and power, regardless of the “hit” against regular citizens. Our rights are being taken away as we watch.

Here’s the scoop on what happened to your rights today …

Go do other Internet searches. Check it out on your own, too. Here is what I read:

The New York Times and Huffington Post – two of the first mainstream U.S. news media to usually report on key issues – just posted in the last hour news of a quite telling Supreme Court ruling today concerning your citizen rights, in  this case your “Miranda rights.”

You know… you’ve  seen it on TV, on S.V.U. or Law or Order… ‘The right to remain silent” and the “right to an attorney” are the first of the Miranda-rights warnings, which police recite to suspects during arrests and interrogations.

In a 5-4 decision, the justices ruled today that suspects must (now) explicitly tell police on their own that they are going to remain silent – in order to stop an interrogation, and suspects must (now) tell police outright too, that they want a lawyer.

The most recent appointee to the Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, said that this ruling turns defendants’ rights and Miranda rights “upside down”.

Against the ruling today, Sotomayor wrote: “Criminal suspects must now unambiguously invoke their right to remain silent – which counterintuitively, requires them to speak,” she said. “At the same time, suspects will be legally presumed to have waived their rights even if they have given no clear expression of their intent to do so. Those results, in my view, find no basis in Miranda or our subsequent cases and are inconsistent with the fair-trial principles on which those precedents are grounded.”

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This is a ruling against our Fifth Amendment Rights, as well

The ruling today also goes against the Fifth Amendment rights of citizens, which is where Miranda rights came from in the first place. “I take the fifth” is your Constitutional “privilege against self-incrimination”.

Right out of our U.S. Bill of Rights, our Fifth Amendment states:

“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.^“

The basis for our Miranda Rights are in the Bills of Rights

Before todays’ ruling, here is how wikipedia defines “Miranda warning.”

“The concept of ‘Miranda rights’ was enshrined in U.S. law following the 1966 Miranda v. Arizona Supreme Court decision, which found that the Fifth Amendment and Sixth Amendment rights of Ernesto Arturo Miranda had been violated during his arrest and trial for rape and kidnapping.

The Supreme Court did not specify the exact wording to use when informing a suspect of their rights. However, the Court did create a set of guidelines that must be followed. The ruling states:

“     …The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he or she has the right to remain silent, and that anything the person says will be used against that person in court; the person must be clearly informed that he or she has the right to consult with an attorney and to have that attorney present during questioning, and that, if he or she is indigent, an attorney will be provided at no cost to represent her or him.”

Watch out for conversations before being arrested – while in “detainment” - or AS one is arrested

Wikipedia also writes about the “confusion” regarding Miranda rights, with the implication to citizens that any conversation or interrogation by police or authorities – even before one is arrested – is subject to these conditions.

“While arrests and interrogations can legally occur without the Miranda warning being given, this procedure would generally make the arrestee’s pre-Miranda statements inadmissible at trial. (However, pursuant to the majority opinion in United States v. Patane, evidence obtained as a result of pre-Miranda statements may still be admitted.)

In some jurisdictions, a detention differs at law from an arrest, and police are not required to give the Miranda warning until the person is arrested for a crime. In those situations, a person’s statements made to police are generally admissible even though the person was not advised of their rights. Similarly, statements made while an arrest is in progress before the Miranda warning was given or completed are also generally admissible.

Because Miranda applies only to custodial interrogations, it does not protect detainees from standard booking questions: name, date of birth, address, and the like. Because it is a protective measure intended to safeguard the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, it does not prevent the police from taking blood without a warrant from persons suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. (Such inspections may be incriminatory, but are not considered self-incriminatory).”

Tactics sometimes used by police and authorities

Wikipedia continues: “Many police departments give special training to interrogators with regard to the Miranda warning; specifically, how to influence a suspect’s decision to waive the right.” (Watch for this.)

“For instance, the officer may be required to specifically ask if the rights are understood and if the suspect wishes to talk. The officer is allowed, before asking the suspect a question, to speak at length about evidence collected, witness statements, etc. The officer will THEN ask if the suspect wishes to talk, and the suspect is then more likely to talk in an attempt to refute the evidence presented.

Another tactic commonly taught is never to ask a question; the officer may simply sit the suspect down in an interrogation room, sit across from him and do paperwork, and wait for the suspect to begin talking.  These tactics are intended to mitigate the restrictions placed on law officers against compelling a suspect to give evidence, and have stood up in court as valid lawful tactics. Nevertheless, such tactics are condemned by legal rights groups as deceptive.

The Miranda rule applies to the use of testimonial evidence in criminal proceedings that is the product of custodial police interrogation.[10] Therefore, for Miranda to apply six factors must be present:

1. evidence must have been gathered;
2. the evidence must be testimonial;
3. the evidence must have been obtained while the suspect was in custody;
4. the evidence must have been the product of interrogation;
5. the interrogation must have been conducted by state-agents; and
6. the evidence must be offered by the state during a criminal prosecution.”

(Note: Any boldings are my emphasis.)

These types of rulings set up the police against the people they protect. That is not smart, or right.

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In summary, as stated above:

Citizens: The best advice in light of this new ruling seems to be: tell police or authorities that  you are invoking your right to silence, that you do not wish to speak to them, and that you also invoke your right to an attorney, and then say no more. Period.

Speak up now for your rights – and your right to a life absent from intimidation by your “Government.”

I read back some time ago – in 5th grade government class, I believe – that in the U.S., the people – the U.S. populace – IS the Government and that we “elect”people to serve the citizens’ (our) interests. Back in fifth grade, I also read that the police were there to protect the citizens.*

Was I dreaming, or what?

(*Granted, some police are there to serve and protect the people. It may just be harder to find them these days. Likewise, it seems they too can be just as controlled by the system.)

An Analogy: Anatomy of a Wheel

Your web site is like the center of a wheel. All of the incoming links to your site are like the spokes. The more spokes you have connecting to your site from well-known, relevant sites out on the web, the more opportunities people have to find you, and your products and services via the Internet.

Summer Special

In the Internet marketing field, an “incoming link” from an established web site (one that’s that ranks high on Google, and other search engines) to your own web site will do wonders for getting your site found. That’s the way it works and that’s what 7Bends is giving away for the summer.

“Marketing-wise, we want people to really see what one simple, incoming link from a high-ranking site, like 7Bends.com, can accomplish for them,” says Susan Thompson, the Managing Editor of 7Bends.com, the premiere uncensored independent news source for the Mid-Atlantic.

“It’s a first step in the web marketing process.”

Until September, 1, 2010, 7Bends.com is providing one free listing (and link) per business/organization free of charge. After that time, each listing will be $25/year.

It’s Easy

Just go to this web page on 7Bends.com, click on “Sign up for 7Bends Business Directory.” and enter the information you want in the form. Include the URL of the web site for your business or organization (which will become your free link). Write your business description and keywords, press “Submit Listing,” and you’re published!

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Taking it one step further – To learn about how optimized web copy writing and web site promotion can increase your web traffic, visit CS-Shen.com, the marketing arm of 7Bends.

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7Bends.com was launched in May 2009, and has grown to be a powerful journalistic platform for disseminating hard-to-find, cutting-edge news, as well as a solid marketing platform for small businesses to advertise their products and services on the web. All optimized articles on 7Bends.com are automatically pinged to top search engines, and top social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook. Each time a Business Directory listing is created and posted, it’s also distributed this way.

Increasingly, the weather in space is affecting Earth, due to what’s called “geomagnetic disturbances,” or space storms. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are happening quite often on the sun’s surface, the effects of which hits the Earth about four days later. So many satellites surround the Earth that from outer space, Earth looks like she has a ring around her. These satellites are especially vulnerable to the effects of CMEs.

Most of us have heard about the Northern Lights that occur in places like Alaska and Canada. These are effects of the sun’s activity on our electromagnetic field. So too, the sun’s activity can produce thunderstorms and lightning here on Earth where one can actually see the power of electricity in the eye of the storm. Not sure, but it seems we had such a storm in Virginia last night.

The latest telescopes being developed are able to “see” and monitor the sun’s surface in greater depth than ever before, and take unbelievable images.

These solar disturbances are nothing new. They have been tracked for more than 100 years on Earth. However, what’s different now is that our Earth is highly dependent on electricity and the Internet and satellites as never before. If they go out, so do many of our livelihoods.

As NASA observes: “Space weather has been recognized as a cause of technological problems since the invention of the telegraph in the 19th century. These events produce disturbances in electromagnetic fields on Earth that can induce extreme currents in wires, disrupting power lines and causing widespread blackouts.

These solar storms can interfere with communications between ground controllers, satellites and airplane pilots flying near Earth’s poles. Radio noise from the storm also can disrupt cell phone service.”

Lately, scientists are voicing their concerns about the far-reaching effects that space weather could have on our planet, our lives, and our economies.

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Earlier this week, on May 25, 2010, NASA issued a news release entitled “”Spacecraft Reveals Small Solar Events Have Large Scale Effects.”

It reads:

“NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, has allowed scientists for the first time to comprehensively view the dynamic nature of storms on the sun. Solar storms have been recognized as a cause of technological problems on Earth since the invention of the telegraph in the 19th century.

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), one of three instruments aboard SDO, allowed scientists to discover that even minor solar events are never truly small scale. Shortly after AIA opened its doors on March 30, scientists observed a large eruptive prominence on the sun’s edge, followed by a filament eruption a third of the way across the star’s disk from the eruption.

“Even small events restructure large regions of the solar surface,” said Alan Title, AIA principal investigator at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif. “It’s been possible to recognize the size of these regions because of the combination of spatial, temporal and area coverage provided by AIA.”

The AIA instrument also has observed a number of very small flares that have generated magnetic instabilities and waves with clearly-observed effects over a substantial fraction of the solar surface. The instrument is capturing full-disk images in eight different temperature bands that span 10,000 to 36-million degrees Fahrenheit. This allows scientists to observe entire events that are very difficult to discern by looking in a single temperature band, at a slower rate, or over a more limited field of view.

The data from SDO is providing a torrent of new information and spectacular images to be studied and interpreted. Using AIA’s high-resolution and nearly continuous full-disk images of the sun, scientists have a better understanding of how even small events on our nearest star can significantly impact technological infrastructure on Earth.

Solar storms produce disturbances in electromagnetic fields that can induce large currents in wires, disrupting power lines and causing widespread blackouts. The storms can interfere with global positioning systems (GPS), cable television, and communications between ground controllers and satellites and airplane pilots flying near Earth’s poles. Radio noise from solar storms also can disrupt cell phone service.

Launched in February 2010, the spacecraft’s commissioning May 14 confirmed all three of its instruments successfully passed an on-orbit checkout, were calibrated and are collecting science data.

“We’re already at five million images and counting,” said Dean Pesnell, the SDO project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “With data and images pouring in from SDO, solar scientists are poised to make discoveries that will rewrite the books on how changes in solar activity have a direct effect on Earth. The observatory is working great, and it’s just going to get better.”

More details on the SDO Spacecraft

Goddard built, operates and manages the SDO spacecraft for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. SDO is the first mission of NASA’s Living with a Star Program. The program’s goal is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to address those aspects of the sun-Earth system that directly affect our lives and society.”

Their “Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment” measures fluctuations in the sun’s radiant emissions. These emissions have a direct and powerful effect on Earth’s upper atmosphere -  heating it, puffing it up, and breaking apart atoms and molecules.

Researchers don’t know how fast the sun can vary at many of these wavelengths, so they expect to make discoveries about flare events. The principal investigator is Tom Woods of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. LASP built the instrument.

SDO Project Scientist Dean Pesnell of Goddard recently remarked: “These amazing images, which show our dynamic sun in a new level of detail, are only the beginning of SDO’s contribution to our understanding of the sun.”

SDO is the first mission of what’s called NASA’s “Living with a Star Program,” or LWS for short. It’s considered the “crown jewel”  in a fleet of NASA missions that study our sun and space environment. The goal of LWS is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to address those aspects of the connected sun-Earth system that directly affect our lives and society.

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The United Kingdom also has been doing research on how the sun affects the Earth recently. On April 14, 2010, a Scientific American article was published, entitled:  “Sun’s threat to power grids.”

It reads:

“Power grids could be devastated by a storm on the sun, astronomers warned today. Scientists have built a detailed model of the UK’s electricity network to check the effects of what they call “space weather.”

They found that the same storms that produce colourful northern lights produce electrical surges that can cause blackout and destroy transformers in power stations and the national grid.

Warnings of doom surfaced last year soon – after the 150th anniversary of the biggest flare ever seen on the sun – which brought down the telegraph system and caused spectacular aurorae – in 1859.

It’s our Vulnerability to Space Storms That’s Changed

Dr Jim Wild, a Lancaster researcher in the team, told Skymania News: “We need to look at what the consequences of a similar event of a similar event would be today. What has changed is our vulnerability.

“If the world’s transformers are destroyed, you can’t just buy new ones off the shelf. Lose electricity and you can’t purify water, can’t treat sewage, can’t pump oil, you can’t refrigerate anything, communications, satnav and the internet go – it is Armageddon-type stuff.”

The US National Academies has estimated that a space storm hitting the USA could cost 1-2 trillion dollars in the first year and the country would take four to ten years to recover.

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If you want to begin checking out space weather there are many good web sites out there. One I like is an independent web effort called the Propagation, Space Weather, and Sunspot Cycle Resource Center (HFRadio.org).

I’ve set my Twitter account to follow their tweets.

HFRadio.org and related websites are services paid for by Tomas David Hood, its founder. The site is supported through donations. On it, you can  find all of the latest pictures and space weather bulletins and warnings.

Here’s an example of a Space Weather Report from this week:

Current Sunspot and Geophysical Activity Report
Observations, Prognastications, Comments by NW7US (Tomas Hood)

Alert: Weak shock has been detected in the solar wind at 0202 UTC, 28 May 2010. Geomagnetic disturbance is due within 12 hours. This is the result of the arrival of one of several ICMEs (Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections) associated with CME eruptions on May 23 and 24. Minor geomagnetic storm conditions are possible in the next 24 to 48 hours.

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Another great space weather site is called: Cosmicopia – an abundance of cosmic rays. Here is a link to their site.

Happy space watching!