Pennsylvania
updated
9:28 a.m.
I guess she should have been grateful that they didn't charge her for the oxygen in the air she breathed while there. (h/t to A Spork in the Drawer ) . ...
2 Political Junkies - 9:02 a.m.
As many as 12,000 workers in Pennsylvania could lose their jobs this month if the Senate fails to extend federal funding that allowed the state to create Way to Work, a highly successful program that subsidizes private- and public-sector jobs for unemployed parents and youth, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Read the entire stor...
Keystone Progress blog - 8:45 a.m. - 3 clicks 
Corbett's new campaign ad certainly references Bonusgate while never actually saying the word. Well that didn't take long. Via CasablancaPA on Tom Corbett's new ad: "I can tell you now that we will not be talking about Bonusgate -- ever -- in the governor's race." -- Corbett for Governor media strategist John Brabender (Post-Gazette 3/24/10) "The politicians were just as skep...
2 Political Junkies - 6:27 a.m. - 4 clicks
I'm printing this in its entirety because its pretty amusing for a press release and it makes a good point. I've also been meaning to blog on those ubiquitous TV ads sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute that feature "just plain folks" saying that taxes on energy are bad as this also serves as a perfect answer to those. Has a Magic Extraction Process Been Discovered by Corbett Campaign...
2 Political Junkies - 6:27 a.m. - 3 clicks
Sometimes, when the stars are situated just right ( ...when the Moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars... ) the Trib and the P-G both editorialize on the same subject. Such as it is today, though it's surprising to see what the Trib say that the P-G don't. The subject this time, The President's recent Oval Office speech . First the P-G : President Barack Obama delivered an...
2 Political Junkies - 4:47 a.m. - 2 clicks
Tom Marino, who is challenging Democrat Chris Carney for PA's 10th congressional set, yells at voters in this video. In the video, which was shot last week at an appearance with Pat Toomey, Marino yells at voters "What do you do for a job?" Then he asks them, "What kind of welfare are you on?" Someone off screen asks him what HE does for aliving and Marino responds "I work for the...
Keystone Progress blog - Wed 5:20 p.m.
Forty Fort considering an English-only ordinance A Forty Fort councilman wants to take what he sees as a pre - emptive step and make English the official language of the borough. "With us being an extremely small borough with an extremely small budget, we can't afford to hire interpreters, we can't afford to make copies of our ordinances in other languages," Dave Williams said Monday. ...
Gort42 - Wed 4:07 p.m.
Start: Sep 2 2010 - 11:30am Timezone: Etc/GMT-5 ERIE: TOMORROW, September 2, 2010 , Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato will hold a press conference to discuss his vision for Marcellus shale development and describe why Tom Corbett's position is bad for Pennsylvania taxpayers. 11:30 AM at Onorato Headquarters 29 W. 5 th Street Eri...
Lake Erie Alliance for Democracy - Wed 3:27 p.m. - 29 clicks
Observation: Tom Marino has demanded nine debates with Congressman Chris Carney. He’s called for them before, so calling for them again may be damage control after he alienated women, veterans, the elderly, small children, and then most recently, voters in general. I suppose he just wants to ask Chris Carney ......
NEPArtisan - Wed 11:01 a.m.
In an article posted over at Doherty Deceit, I saw that nine towns in Massachusetts have gone after the Catholic Church on property taxes. Empty or abandoned or non-religious buildings owned by the diocese in the Boston-area are pretty common. Declining attendance, closure and consolidation of parishes and parochial schools, ......
NEPArtisan - Wed 11:01 a.m. - 2 clicks
Beck and Baker from some or other wingnut broadcast. First, credit where credit is due: I heard this story today on Lynn Cullen's City Paper broadcast . It looks like former WTAE Pittsburgh news anchor Scott Baker is descending further down the rat hole of wingnut "journalism." First some background. If you recall, back in 2005 while Baker was still an anchor of the 5:00 PM ne...
2 Political Junkies - Wed 9:09 a.m. - 8 clicks
Initial Results Show Increased Domestic Production, Growth in Market Share and Reversal of Employment Losses Washington, DC. The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has found that, nearly one year into President Obama's decision to provide import relief on certain consumer tires from China, the move has succeeded in restoring production, market share, and employment to the U.S. tire sec...
Keystone Progress blog - Wed 8:01 a.m. - 3 clicks
It's like they rounded up everyone's dumb relatives and bused them off to DC last week. By the way, doesn't the guy with the binoculars look and sound like Leon Panetta's fatter, dumber brother? Or, just maybe, it was Leon doing some undercover surveillance of the rally...think about it, binoculars?...better get out the chalkboard, Glenn. The video comes v...
Left of Centre - Wed 7:28 a.m.
Richard Mellon Scaife's Tribune-Review this morning spun them some Heritage spin : It's bad enough that the Obama administration joined the United Nations' Human Rights Council of world reprobates. For this privilege, must the U.S. also affix a sign to its back that says, "Kick us"? As a member, the U.S. is required to file a "periodic review," which gives China, Cuba and other "peers" ammunitio...
2 Political Junkies - Wed 7:05 a.m.
League of Conservation Voters Adds Representative John Perzel to the Inaugural State-Level Dirty Dozen Philadelphia - Today, the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV), which works to turn environmental values into national priorities, announced the inaugural state-level Dirty Dozen program. Pennsylvania State Representative John Perzel is one of 12 candidates for state office from around...
Keystone Progress blog - Wed 5:45 a.m. - 5 clicks
Congressman Chris Carney's biggest assett in his quest for reelection continues to be his Republican opponent Tom Marino . His latest misspeak happened in Williamsport when he got into a shouting match. PoliticsPA : The video, taken at a joint appearance with Republican U.S. Senate nominee Pat Toomey in Williamsport on Aug. 26, shows him getting into an argument with a group of p...
Gort42 - Wed 3:26 a.m. - 4 clicks
September inspires us to turn away from the outside world and to return to ourselves. While each of us contain both masculine and female energy, female energy is this months theme, as it is gentle, creative, and supportive. It balances masculine tendencies and mirrors reflections. It is a period to give less of ourselves, so that we may replenish what has been loss or given away. We are tempor...
Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society - Wed 1:09 a.m.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm now a member of the Peduto for City Council cyber staff (a paid, part-time position). My duties include blogging at http://billpeduto.com/ and http://reformpittsburghnow.com/ -- though Councilor Peduto likes to write his own material -- as well as sending out monthly email blasts. So, look for updates to those sites! And yes, obviously, opinions e...
2 Political Junkies - Tue 11:29 a.m. - 13 clicks
Observation: This egg recall is bad. How bad? We aren’t allowed to know. Why not? I just watched a news report that said, “The truth is so disgusting and disturbing that we’ve cleaned it up for you.” Really? Thanks, journalism, for failing us again. What did they tell us that ......
NEPArtisan - Tue 10:28 a.m. - 2 clicks
Last Primary, the bloggers had a meet-up down at Rooney’s in Pittston. Now, we all get together with each other sporadically and some of us chit-chat on the phone semi-regularly. There’s a kinship formed by those who often complain in a public forum (but have the luxury of ......
NEPArtisan - Tue 10:28 a.m.
After coming out against women, veterans, the elderly, and then even small children, Tom Marino is adding yet another group to his hit list: Voters. That’s right. The video below shows Marino, at the top of his anti-everybody game, yelling at a voter. “What do you do for a job?” he yells. ......
NEPArtisan - Tue 10:28 a.m.
Mayor Justin Taylor has responded to the issue of getting county loan money for development in a lengthy press release, which you’ll find below. Taylor isn’t getting free money here for development. Taylor applied for a loan which he would have to pay back. This doesn’t strike me as some kind ......
NEPArtisan - Tue 10:28 a.m.
Today, Paul Kanjorski, in conjunction with Bob Casey, will announce federal funding for an innovation center in Wilkes-Barre. Allow me to engage in some augury and channel for you the coming Barletta response. Hazleton, Pa – Lou Barletta took time today to respond to Paul Kanjorski’s announcement of federal funding for an ......
NEPArtisan - Tue 10:28 a.m. - 6 clicks
Originally posted on The Mark Up . This is the seventh in a continuing series by the NRDC Action Fund on the environmental stances of candidates in key races around the country. ...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - Tue 10:27 a.m. - 7 clicks
GT spoke last night at Penn State on national security which he interpreted very broadly. Let's compare and contrast a couple of his statements. First up: "What my generation is providing you, unfortunately, is a legacy of debt," he said. "It's just not American. He said the Obama administration needs to present -- and Congress needs to enact -- a responsible budget. Next: Meanwhile, Thomp...
Left of Centre - Tue 8:04 a.m. - 6 clicks
That's what the Tribune-Review called it: UN-AMERICAN (in all caps, no less). Take a look : The Obama administration has shelved its plans to prosecute Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. He's alleged to have coordinated the October 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. Seventeen U.S. soldiers were killed. Another 39 were injured. "(N)o charges are either pending or contemplated with respect to al...
2 Political Junkies - Tue 3:44 a.m. - 2 clicks
119 th District State Represenative John Yudichak (D) has his sights on the 14 th Senate District seat held by retiring Ray Musto . He had a fundraiser on Sunday that was well attended but was not announced on his website or Facebook pages. His campaign hasn't updated his online outlets since the primary. Get on the stick guys and use every tool available to communicate you...
Gort42 - Tue 1:26 a.m. - 3 clicks
From Sunday's Tribune-Review : In his new book "Control Freaks: 7 Ways Liberals Plan to Ruin Your Life" (Regnery), Terence P. Jeffrey warns that liberals in the White House and Congress who disregard the Founders' principles are taking control over such everyday aspects of life as where Americans live, what they eat, what (and whether) they drive, how they use their property, what they listen to,...
2 Political Junkies - Mon 9:48 p.m.
I know how to tick people off. Maybe this will motivate a few of them. I have done a fairly comprehensive analysis of the Justin Simmons/ Mike Horton race. I have looked at past voter turn out, registration trends, overlaid census data and examined the household income of likely voters in the 29 precincts. I make this prediction 63 days out: Justin Simmons will wi...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Mon 5:28 p.m. - 3 clicks
I don't agree with Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh. Ditto Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. I think they are all political opportunists and/or extremists that make meaningful dialogue in this country difficult. But there is one right under our Constitution that I want all those mentioned above to have, and that is the right to express an opinion, no matter how unpopular that...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Mon 4:49 p.m. - 2 clicks
Hat tip to NCFE for picking this up. It seems that the AP has run a story on the prison beating. There are a lot of shady goings-on regarding this incident. First, one guard left his post. Second, after the incident, the prison not only didn’t allow a priest to see ......
NEPArtisan - Mon 9:41 a.m. - 9 clicks
A release from Paul Kanjorski’s camp, blasting Barletta for very stupidly coming out against jobs. The release has an amusing point, in the GOP’s quest to be the Party of “No” Barletta has even decided to extend that to jobs. Enjoy! Lou Barletta's dangerous demagoguery would cost Northeastern PA jobs WILKES-BARRE, PA - ......
NEPArtisan - Mon 9:41 a.m. - 9 clicks
I don’t get Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally for a multitude of reasons. One that stands out, though, is the title. When was America’s honor lost? Was it when we went to war with Iraq on false pretenses? Or earlier, when the Supreme Court handed Bush a victory? Or was ......
NEPArtisan - Mon 9:41 a.m. - 2 clicks
While riding the Metro on Saturday to cover the Beck rally, I overheard a man say, "Next the government will be taking over public transportation." ...
Keystone Progress blog - Mon 6:06 a.m. - 4 clicks
... .a way with words. This country has contracted a nasty STD after being fucked by the Bush Administration. Beck and Palin and their ilk are the aggressive, inflamed genital warts that will never respond to treatment. Here, here! Hear, Hear! ...
Left of Centre - Sun 7:02 p.m. - 4 clicks
Congressman Paul Kanjorski has his first ad hitting the airwaves in which he comes out swinging at Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta I asked the Barletta camp for a response: Two months from the election and Kanjorski is leading with a negative commercial? That shows how desperate he is. If Kanjorski wants to debate taxes or unemployment, we'll be happy to – oh, that's right, he refu...
Gort42 - Sun 10:48 a.m. - 9 clicks
This week , Jack Kelly (as usual) does his usual song-and-dance and spins away from reality. The column is the usual conservative-speak about guv'ment spending/waste, blah-blah-blah with a bit of environmental snark thrown in. Jack sets-up: Defense Secretary Robert Gates raised eyebrows and ruffled feathers Aug. 9 when he announced plans to shut down Joint Forces Command, a headquarters in s...
2 Political Junkies - Sun 10:22 a.m. - 3 clicks
As I noted earlier this month, GT joined 158 of his Republican colleagues to defeat a bill which created a fund for the 9/11 emergency responders who have health problems due to the toxic environment created by the collapse of the World Trade Center. At the time, GT hadn't explained his vote and I wondered which Clown Caucus approved talking point GT would point to if he was asked to just...
Left of Centre - Sun 6:22 a.m. - 2 clicks
From today's Tribune-Review (naturally): Housing sales have tanked. Unemployment remains stubbornly high. Companies won't hire because they know they're about to be taxed to death. "Consumer confidence" is an oxymoron. And Vice President Joe Biden says the economy's moving in the right direction? These cats couldn't find their own litter boxes if they were tied to them. Now let's take a look at ...
2 Political Junkies - Sun 5:46 a.m. - 10 clicks
Steve Benen, one of my favorite bloggers, has a must read piece on today's rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Here's a sample. For a year and a half, we've seen rallies and town-hall shouting and attack ads and Fox News special reports. But I still haven't the foggiest idea what these folks actually want, other than to see like-minded Republicans winning elections. To be sure, I admire their pass...
Left of Centre - Sat 8:22 p.m. - 2 clicks
Meatloaf? Meh. Brussels sprouts? Not bad! What are these mashed up things? Potatos? POTATOS!! OMG POTATOS!!!!! I CANNOT SHOVEL THEM INTO MY MOUTH FAST ENOUGH!!!!!!! WHY AREN'T THERE MORE POTATOS IN MY BOWL?????? DADDY, YOU MISERABLE FAT BASTARD, WHY HAVE YOU KEPT THESE FROM ME???????? MORE POTATOS DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!!!! ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Sat 5:25 p.m. - 2 clicks
All this news of contaminated drinking water and explosions related to the gas drilling has Ptolemy worried about his water supply. Being an environmentally conscience feline he decided to protest this activity by staging a sleep in on the window sill. He ruled out a hunger strike. . On the other hand Quincy has sold out to the drillers and has been hired as a sub-contractor to e...
Gort42 - Sat 1:42 p.m. - 2 clicks
About a month ago, I had a post highlighting the CDT's most teabagelicious commeter, psumba, who showed up in comments here to defend himself. He wrote , in part, Let's see ... I'm charged with: - anti-intellectualism - as a student, I was considered to be quite intellectual. In fact, I did earn two simultaneous undergraduate diplomas from Penn State in four years ... in two dema...
Left of Centre - Sat 11:40 a.m. - 14 clicks
KDKA News is reporting that the federal investigation into the brutal beating of CAPA honors student Jordan Miles is over and that the Pittsburgh police officers involved will not be charged. They quote Justice Department sources as saying: "We don't believe we can get a conviction." [snip] "It's three against one..." So does that mean that if only one police officer had brutalized Miles t...
2 Political Junkies - Fri 8:40 p.m. - 16 clicks
I suppose it's possible that someone at the Justice Department is singing along (unironically) with the chorus of this song (more in a bit): . ...
2 Political Junkies - Fri 6:21 p.m. - 2 clicks
The Facebook page of District 5 of the Westmoreland County (PA) Republican Party has this image for its profile picture: And Democrats are actually behind in the polls to these people? Here's link to the page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greensburg-PA/District-5-of-th UPDATE: The Facebook page has change...
Keystone Progress blog - Fri 3:01 p.m. - 8 clicks
Via Progress Pittsburgh : Friday, August 27th Pittsburg, PA Venue: Frick Park, Beechwood Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Directions at: http://www.pittsburghparks.org/frick-directions Rain: In the event of rain, this event will be held on Saturday, August 28th 7:00 PM: Doors Open 7:30 PM: Live Music 8:15 PM: Film Begins 9:30 PM: Q&A with Director Josh Fox and Local Organiza...
2 Political Junkies - Fri 7:27 a.m. - 15 clicks
Via The York Dispatch : "My idea of gun control is a steady aim," he said. I guess he's running to be the Sarah Palin of Pennsylvania. CeaseFirePA reminds us: Mr. Toomey’s remark, delivered at a campaign event in Biglerville, PA, comes at a time when 1,200 Pennsylvanians, on average, are killed each year in gun-related incidents – homicides, suicides and accidental shootings. It com...
2 Political Junkies - Fri 6:46 a.m. - 16 clicks
While it can certainly be argued that Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato hasn't always been ultra gay friendly, he has become way more progressive on LGBT issues -- and more importantly -- hasn't backpedaled since winning the Democratic primary. So, it should come as no surprise to those paying attention that Dan has received the endorsement of the Steel City Stonewall De...
2 Political Junkies - Fri 5:43 a.m. - 14 clicks
When the Keystone Progress Action Fund learned that the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Pat Toomey received $4,800 in campaign contributions from Scott Banister -- an adult website owner -- they created the Porn for Toomey ("Because we recognize a pro at screwing people") spoof website. They also created a Porn for Toomey spoof Facebook page: There's no link to that because ...
2 Political Junkies - Fri 5:22 a.m. - 2 clicks
From today's Op-Ed page of Richard Mellon Scaife's Tribune-Review: It's a huge weekend in the nation's capital for patriotic Americans. Tonight, it's the "Take America Back Convention" at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, sponsored by FreedomWorks. Participants will learn of the hottest congressional races of the year and learn how to get out the vote in November. And Saturday, it's the...
2 Political Junkies - Fri 4:07 a.m. - 2 clicks
I haven't had enough time to take a good look at this yet so here is a bunch of links so tell me what you think. The newspapers TL: Kanjo promotes security school CV: Kanjorski says training facility could bring 1,000 jobs to NEPA The press releases Congressman Paul Kanjorski: 8/26/10: Kanjorski Announces Potential Project to Build Federal Training Facility in NEPA That Would Bring 1,00...
Gort42 - Fri 2:28 a.m. - 10 clicks
Thursday evening I received the following email from Independent Candidate for Statehouse in the 134th District Carl Stevenson: As reported in the Morning Call, incumbent Doug Reichley, through proxies, filed a petition seeking to get me thrown off of the ballot. The judge in Commonwealth Court ignored a Federal Court ruling and injunction and ordered me removed from the ballot. I...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Thu 9:21 p.m. - 6 clicks
From Blogger Pictures Well, GT is at it again, bullshitting his constituents. I've been having a bit of a back and forth over at the CDT for the past few days over a lie filled letter GT wrote "explaining" one of his votes on energy policy. I hope to build on my comments over there for a post here sometime soon. In the meantime, let's have a go at this tweet . (By the ...
Left of Centre - Thu 8:06 p.m. - 2 clicks
Joseph Farah is still at it. He's STILL droning on about the Birth Certificate. Really. And in supporting his case, the stuff he leaves out is simply breathtaking. Really. Here's Joey : The State Department is maintaining a "counter-misinformation" page on an America.gov blog that attempts to "debunk a conspiracy theory" that President Obama was not born in the United States, as if the topic...
2 Political Junkies - Thu 6:27 p.m. - 13 clicks
From PA2010 : Republican Senate hopeful Pat Toomey appeared to be trying a little revisionist history this week when he claimed he never called for privatizing Social Security. Toomey made the statement at the end of his appearance at the Pennsylvania Press Club Monday, only to see a wave of critics calling him out. That included the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which dug up a 2003 ...
2 Political Junkies - Thu 5:45 p.m. - 13 clicks
From StateCollege.com , Rustum Roy, the founder of Penn State's Materials Research Lab, has passed away, the university announced Thursday morning. He was 86, according to Penn State. Rusty was always a character and a self-promoter, but he sure did a good job of tweaking Old Main's nose over the years and for that he will be missed. ...
Left of Centre - Thu 12:40 p.m. - 8 clicks
Today's Collegian has a half-assed story on Penn State's precipitous drop in the Washington Monthly National University Ranking . The reporter, Micah Wintner, makes no effort to explain why the University dropped like a rock from 7 th to 35 th place. Basically the story is Penn State drops in Washington Monthly ranking....hey, look over there THON....economic impact...wait!...
Left of Centre - Thu 12:40 p.m. - 10 clicks
I don't have much time - but that's OK because this won't take much time. From today's Thursday Wrap : What a guy: As you know, U.S. taxpayers have sent controversial Ground Zero imam Feisal Abdul Rauf on a "religious tolerance" tour of the Mideast. This would be the same imam who, according to Human Events, told an audience at the University of Australia in 2005 that the United States is worse...
2 Political Junkies - Thu 12:40 p.m. - 2 clicks
I found an old packet of flower seeds that I know came from Monticello, but unfortunatly, the package label came off. I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but boy, is it striking! ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 26 - 2 clicks
Pollen heads on the garden corn. I got very small ears (only about 4" long) but they were delicious. ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 26 - 2 clicks
Republican candidate James O'Meara has a shindig tonight at Saint Maria Goretti Church Banquet Hall, 42 Redwood Drive, Laflin, PA. Incumbent Democrat Eddie Day Pashinski has been out front on the drilling issue lately supporting a moritorium and attending Gas Stock . O"Meara also talks sense on this issue. Yesterday I received a newsletter from Pashinski telling me what a great ...
Gort42 - Aug 26 - 7 clicks
When it was revealed that Pat Toomey accepted money from a porn site owner for his run for US Senator from Pennsylvania, the Keystone Progress Action Fund decided to create a spoof Facebook page called "Porn for Toomey." The Facebook page included a photo of a "pornster" named "Randy Bizness" who served as the host of the page. The Facebook site was clearly marked as a "spoof" site,...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - Aug 25 - 9 clicks
When it was revealed that Pat Toomey accepted money from a porn site owner for his run for US Senator from Pennsylvania, the Keystone Progress Action Fund decided to create a spoof Facebook page called "Porn for Toomey." The Facebook page included a photo of a "pornster" named "Randy Bizness" who served as the host of the page. The Facebook site was clearly marked as a "spoof" site, and was...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 25 - 7 clicks
Via the Huffingtonpost , there's this from Atlantic.com: Ken Mehlman, President Bush's campaign manager in 2004 and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, has told family and associates that he is gay. Mehlman arrived at this conclusion about his identity fairly recently, he said in an interview. He agreed to answer a reporter's questions, he said, because, now in private life...
2 Political Junkies - Aug 25 - 9 clicks
That would be much of public discourse now (and some of the policy proposals out there). The War Against the Poor It's not enough to give the ultra rich huge tax breaks, you must actively punish the poor: Carl Paladino, Tea-Party-backed Republican candidate for governor of New York (who has showed up on these pages before for is racist and hardcore porn emails ), advocates fo...
2 Political Junkies - Aug 25
And here's another episode of Lucky Ducky called Deficit Hawk Down. A brief preview and a riddle: Are republicans for deficit reduction even when it comes to taxes for the rich? Oh its a conundrum ...
Three Rivers Online - Aug 25
Earlier today I wrote about a right wing think-tank called The Maldon Institute and the huge financial support it gets from Pittsburgh Tribune-Review owner, Richard Mellon Scaife. So who's this John Rees who works for the think tank Scaife so heavily funds? He's a piece of work. According to Sourcewatch : John Rees was active during the 1980s as a right-wing journalist and private intelligen...
2 Political Junkies - Aug 25 - 4 clicks
From today's Trib : The Daily Caller reports that U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used to rehabilitate 26 mosques in 19 countries. Are we "winning hearts and minds," as advocates claim, or are we underwriting the headquarters for radicals to plot our demise? Ah such obvious religious bigotry, ain't it grand to see it out in the open? ...
2 Political Junkies - Aug 25
My friend David Madeira has the first local based show on the new conservative talk radio station 94.3 FM. He describes himself as a recovering politician that wants to save the country from liberalism. That hasn't worked out well so far and I'm of the opinion that many people are rhetorically conservative but functionally liberal. More on that in a future post. . Madeira recently lost th...
Gort42 - Aug 25
For the past five years, Washington Monthly has ranked universities according to their purported contribution to society. Penn State has done very well in the ranking: 2005 , 6 th place ; 2006 , 3 rd place; 2007 , 5 th place; 2008, a presidential election year, the ranking was not done; 2009 , 7 th place. Penn State has been very proud of finishing in the top ten every...
Left of Centre - Aug 24 - 5 clicks
Folks on here may enjoy seeing the faces of folks standing up to natural gas drillers. These are leaders in the Williamsport area that Clean Water Action has found working on the issue of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus formation. read more ...
Young Philly Politics - Aug 24 - 7 clicks
As fellow blogger Chris Casey and other Democrats swoon over Sestak's new office, how many will remember the tax incentives, the KOZ package, the facade grant and so forth given to CityLine Construction for that building? Four years after using tax payer money supposedly to create jobs, we have deferred real estate taxes to promote a candidate on what was billed as Allentown's premier retail bl...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 24 - 3 clicks
On Thursday, August 26, United States Senate Candidate Joe Sestak will be in Allentown for the official opening of his Allentown campaign office. It is located in the former Quizno's on Hamilton Street next door to the Allentown Brew Works. The festivities take place from 6:30 to 8:30 PM and the office is also sponsoring a Blood Drive. So you can come on down and give Blood...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 24 - 4 clicks
I moseyed on down to 7th and Hamilton today around one o'clock Monday and stood in on a news conference from the "DON" of Lehigh, County Executive Don Cunningham. It was not the best of times, but it was not the worst of them either. "There is no one-size fits all model in government. You have to manage government to fit the times. In the end what we do cannot exceed what the taxpayers can...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 24 - 2 clicks
I spotted this over at LuLac Highmark sending work to India, seeking buyouts Top Pittsburgh health insurer Highmark Inc. has notified employees that it will be off-shoring some of its technology work to India, and is simultaneously asking for buyouts among its tech workers and analysts...We anticipate this new [India Delivery Center] contract will not only provide additional flexibility i...
Gort42 - Aug 24 - 5 clicks
This looks like a good idea. "As our community moves forward to address the challenges of dangerous drinking, we acknowledge that many students' use of alcohol may align less with the one-time alcohol abuse incident, and more with the reality that they may be suffering from an addictive abuse of alcohol," said Damon Sims, vice president for student affairs at Penn State. "This fall, the Divis...
Left of Centre - Aug 23 - 5 clicks
WASHINGTON – Today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), which works to turn environmental values into national priorities, named former Club for Growth President and Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey to its 2010 "Dirty Dozen" list. Coinciding with the announcement, LCV is launching an online campaign that includes a web video and targeted online advertising, alerting Pennsylvania vote...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 23 - 7 clicks
Just when you think that we taxpayers in Pennsylvania are getting it bad enough from School districts, READ THIS. How would you like to live in California, where they built a new "trendy" school, that cost over FIVE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. Give the idiots time, they will likely argue that they ...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 23 - 5 clicks
We arrived at Gas Stock about 2:30PM and missed the few politicians that showed up and the triumphant arrival of the hearty souls who walked from Nesbitt Park all the way to the Luzerne County Fairgrounds. State Reps Phyllis Mundy and Eddie Day Pashinski worked the crowd along with 120 th District Libertarian candidate Tim Mullen . I understand why none of the local Rep...
Gort42 - Aug 22 - 3 clicks
By now everybody knows that Doug Reichley put two of his buddies up to challenging Independent Candidate Carl Stevenson's nominating petitions. Those two BFF's were Alburtis Mayor Robert Mader and Emmaus Republican Michael Gibson. In the Morning Call article by Patrick Lester, (Read Here )Reichley is quoted as saying that he had no objection to there being a third candidate on the ballo...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 20
We won't be fooled again via HuffPo ... the DNC's first television ad directly related to the midterms. "This fall, America faces a big choice: Do we continue to move forward like the Democrats are doing? Investing in education for every child, manufacturing right here at home, clean energy powering a new economy. Do we put Main Street ahead of Wall Street; do we hold big business accountable...
Gort42 - Aug 20
Earlier this week at Ag Progress Days, Graham announced the formation of a new Penn State research and outreach center [1] focused on the Marcellus Shale. The purpose of the center, Penn State's Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research (MCOR), according the to The Penn State Propaganda Portal is ....to work with state agencies, elected officials, communities, landowners, industry and envi...
Left of Centre - Aug 20 - 4 clicks
NANTICOKE- Rick Arnold, candidate for state representative in Pennsylvania’s 119th District, invites residents to join him on Aug. 20 in recognizing the contributions of those who defend, protect, educate, and serve the needs of their community. The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Nanticoke’s West Side Park in the 300 block of West Grand Street. Republican nominee Arnold is oppo...
Gort42 - Aug 20 - 4 clicks
ITEM: Let this mark the grand return of my Vast Wasteland TV Column. Last seen here. I've been watching a lot of television lately, which is a good way to put off Ken Macleod books I should be finishing. Just short impressions: True Blood : I don't think that the Oregon Vampire Rights Amendment is going to pass. I still think that o...
Three Rivers Online - Aug 19
On Wednesday the PA Commonwealth Court did something it is very good at, discouraging candidates outside the two parties from even attempting to get on the ballot. Read the article here . Back in 2006 Republicans screamed Holy Hell when Democrats successfully challenged the Senate Candidate from the Green Party and had him removed. First off, the whole idea of separate , t...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 19 - 3 clicks
....should steal borrow this idea and adapt it to Penn State. I give you the University of Binge Drinking Web site. Welcome to the University of Binge Drinking! Here you will become oriented in the dangerous drinking that occurs on our property. You will learn about our policies that take our state laws and modify them so that they allow us to look the other way, the insane amounts of mone...
Left of Centre - Aug 19 - 2 clicks
I came across this letter to the editor in the Inky on Tuesday (emphasis mine): Jim Florio states, "Businesses are deciding . . . higher levels of U.S. unemployment are a necessary and acceptable way to control costs and boost profit." Florio has obviously never run a business. Businesses don't consider the overall employment level when determining their staffing needs; they hire based on th...
Young Philly Politics - Aug 19
...well, not so much. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c News Corp. Gives Money to Republicans www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party Technorati Tags: The Daily Show , Glenn Beck , Fox News , GOP ...
Left of Centre - Aug 19
Last month I asked PA 121st District State Rep Eddie Day Pashinski about the proposed gas drilling in Plains Twp. His response: Thank you for your message related to the proposed gas drilling in Plains Township. I too have grave concerns about the entire operation and I am engaged in conversations with a wide variety of people who are involved and active with this issue. I have gone on record...
Gort42 - Aug 19
W-B cracking down on predatory towing Tow-truck drivers looking to haul off cars illegally parked in private and public lots will face added scrutiny under an ordinance discussed Tuesday by city council, requiring companies to be licensed and conform prices with a city-mandated list. "We're just trying to protect our residents from some possibly unscrupulous practices," said council Chai...
Gort42 - Aug 19 - 3 clicks
I went into Allentown Wednesday with one express purpose: To attend the Parks and recreation meeting at 7:15 and get an update on progress at the "Destination Playground" under construction at Cedar beach. Parks director Craig Wetzel was proud to announce that they expect a ribbon cutting either the first or second week in September. He speci...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 18
Incumbent Dem Phyllis Mundy has been trying to bring some sanity to the slow motion environmental disaster known as Marcellus Shale drilling. Her latest initiative is keep gas wells out of the floodplains of PA which there are many. Mundy proposes keeping gas wells away from floodplains Previously she called for a moratorium on new wells and points to our neighbors in the state of N...
Gort42 - Aug 18
Carnegie Mellon University's President Jared L. Cohon will step down on June 30, 2013 after sixteen years in the job. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , Penn State University President Graham Spanier called Cohon "one of the great leaders in American higher education in the modern era." While Cohon had this to say about his retirement , "It's just time," Cohon, 62, said during a...
Left of Centre - Aug 18 - 2 clicks
Okay, faithful Rock n' Roll readers, who sings this verse? "Somebody's going to emergency, somebody's going to jail." Name the song and the artist, and you might win a free large cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts courtesy of me. Name the album and i will throw in the pastry of choice Tomorrow I will post the answer with a U-Tube video,...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 17
Last week House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (R-CA) called the House back into a rare August session to vote on an emergency funding bill for Medicaid and education. The bill passed, despite GOP opposition, and Obama signed it into law. In Pennsylvania, its passage staved off a financial catastrophe . The Pennsylvania Legislature approved a budget for 2010-11 based on the hope of ...
Left of Centre - Aug 17
I am a little late on this, but earlier this month the Princeton Review Party School Ranking came out. Penn State dropped from first place last year to third place this year. That mean's that the national spotlight will now shift away from Penn State to the University of Georgia, this year's top school. We'll have to wait and see if Old Main's will to deal with the alcohol abu...
Left of Centre - Aug 17 - 2 clicks
The haters never rest. Another manufactured controversy from the people who claim to defend the Constitution but don't want it to apply to people they don't like. The cries of ignoring the will of the American people misses the point that the Bill of Rights is not subject to a vote. Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exer...
Gort42 - Aug 17
No Fracking - Drilling!! Artists, musicians, speakers, & storytellers will gather Sat Aug 21 10 AM at Luzerne County Fairgrounds to entertain and inform residents of NEPA about Marcellus Shale gas drilling and the risks posed. Join us for fun and facts in a family-friendly environment. Be part of NEPA's Community Event of the Year! GasStock Free! Concert - Rally - Fes...
Gort42 - Aug 17
Here's a thought provoking report from yesterday's CDT (This link will die in about two weeks, after that you can go to News Bank, which is free online at Schlow and Pattee, if you really want to read the whole article.). When Dannah Gresh tries to convince 8-to 12-year-old girls about the importance of sexual purity, modesty and not blindly following peer pressure, she’ll have som...
Left of Centre - Aug 16
Anti-Corporate Corruption Campaign Launches With More Than 158 Rallies Nationwide, A Pledge Signed By 29 Candidates, and New Battleground Polling MoveOn.org Political Action, a group with more than 5 million members, launched a new election year push today to Fight Washington Corruption and to elect politicians who will fight for the Other 98% of Americans, not just the 2% who can afford to hire ...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 16
I've been putting off writing this because it's simply too depressing once you put it into words, but somebody has to say it and it seems to be my role. Everybody, especially economists like Krugman and Baker, have been dancing......
Fact-esque - Aug 16
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/08/who_can_ "Obama's America ," tweets Republican political consultant Patrick Ruffini, linking to this map of economic devastation. Fairly or not, Ruffini raises an interesting question: How much unemployment can we blame...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 16
Northwest Pennsylvania Catholics United Members Defend Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper’s Vote on Health Care Reform Bill Posted August 16, 2010 People of Faith Aim to “Set the Record Straight” about Abortion Funding Myth Local members of the group Catholics United joined other members of the faith community at a public gathering today to support Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper's vote for ...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 16 - 2 clicks
As we pass through another summer without enough holidays I want to remind everyone of my proposal to make August 16th a day of celebration. ...
Gort42 - Aug 16
I've been away, and didn't return until this morning. Between attending funerals and helping out family members when they ask, I have been preoccupied. But I made time every day to read and write, and I found inspiration wherever I looked. Today was no exception. Treating other peoples money as your own &nbs...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 15
In the last few days Republican 10th Congressional candidate Tom Marino suggested that Congressman Chris Carney has been hiding behind his wife's skirt and her recent battle with breast cancer to avoid answering his already debunked charges . I am disappointed that Mr. Carney would use his wife’s health condition to hide the fact that he refuses to address where he stands on abortion. ...
Gort42 - Aug 15
Congressman Paul Kanjorski didn't sign a letter a letter endorsing Penn State Coach Joe Paterno for the Presidential Medal of Freedom and all hell has broken loose. A few years ago Steve Spurier referred to our beloved football coach as "Saint Joe" in a derogatory way and he had to apologize . Dissing Joe Pa will not win you any votes. Lou Barletta Paul Kanjorski ...
Gort42 - Aug 15 - 3 clicks
Let's all say a non denominational atheist prayer for the late Abbey Lincoln . Here's my fave Youtube vid of her with Max Roach. Check out the last notes here and that wonderful expression on her face: [ Download ] ...
Three Rivers Online - Aug 15
I'm still trying to figure out the transition away from Examiner.com. The Examiner is a part of something called a "Content Farm", which you can read about here and here. Content farms don't pay much but if you like to write and don't need to make a lot of money they're fine. For the next month or so, I'm going to focus on Mirror Universe and here, w...
Three Rivers Online - Aug 15
Let me know in comments what you like and don't like about the new site design. Technorati Tags: Housekeeping Note ...
Left of Centre - Aug 14
The huge stones of the PRR pier. More Canon fiddling. You can see what I mean about it not wanting to focus. The blocks made me think of Legos. ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 14
And Bobby Henderson is its prophet . Or not, as we Pastafarians reject dogma. More fooling around with the Canon while I was trying to figure out what was wrong with it. Just taking pictures of random things during my lunch break, and I figured the FSM badge on the back of my car was as good a subject as any. The reflection is pretty cool. ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 14
Approaching PNC Park aboard the Miss Pittsburgh . That's the 6th Street ( Roberto Clemente ) Bridge on the left. I like the sunlight reflection on the water. Another Canon shot. ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 14
I found my old Canon Powershot point and shoot digital that supposedly didn't work anymore. New batteries, and some fiddling seemed to bring it back to life, but it is still balky, sometimes, it doesn't want to focus, and sometimes it doesn't shoot at all. Was playing around with it though, as its a lot more portable than my Nikon D50. Here's the left field "Loony Bin" bleachers at PNC. ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 14
The huge, PRR double-decked (only one in use) bridge over the Allegheny downtown. Taken from the Miss Pittsburgh with the Canon. ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 14 - 2 clicks
Found a three pound clump of the famed Chicken of the Woods last night. Its been called the "60 mile an hour" mushroom, because you can spot it while driving 60 on the highway. I was doing about 15mph rounding a bend when I spotted this nice fresh sample. Laetiporus sulphureus , also known as sulphur shelf, is one of the "foolproof four," an excellent mushroom for beginners, since it h...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Aug 14
The next Blogger/Candidate meetup will be September 17th at Rooney's in Pittston. ...
Gort42 - Aug 13
Mrs. G keeps an eye out at the Gort 42 Mid-Atlantic forward observation post (above). I will bore you with a full report about our vacation tomorrow. There are 750 emails in my inbox plus the spam and my answering machine has another 14 messages. Please forgive me if I don't get back to you all. ...
Gort42 - Aug 13
Things may not be going too well next door. LOCK HAVEN - Faced with declining state financial support, Lock Haven University has told its faculty union that layoffs - or retrenchment, in bargaining terms - are possible. The school has until Oct. 31 to notify the 264 professor-faculty members of the local chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State Colleges and Universities Faculties ...
Left of Centre - Aug 13
Even as we speak, Democrat leaders are most likely meeting in emergency session to try to figure out what to do about the latest bad news: everybody hates the Pubs and their policies. Voters' opinions of the Republican Party are......
Fact-esque - Aug 12
The fall-out from the Supreme Court’s recent action in the case of Enron CEO Jeff Skilling has brought a famous political prosecution back into the headlines. The conviction of former Alabama Governor Donald E. Siegelman for bribery in 2006 had become a cause célèbre in the United States and internationally, with one hundred and four current and past states attorneys general going on record ...
Lake Erie Alliance for Democracy - Aug 11
Philadelphia Inquirer: Ballot challenges filed against Pennsylvania candidates By Joelle Farrell, Thomas Fitzgerald, and Tom Infield Inquirer Staff Writers It's one thing for an independent or third-party candidate to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania. It's another for the candidate to stay there. Powers that be in the Republican and Democratic Parties were behind legal challenges in Commonwealt...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 11
Environmentalists call on General Assembly to pass a severance tax like WV’s On behalf of its 185,000 members in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Clean Water Action called on the General Assembly today to impose a volume based 45¢ per thousand cubic feet severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas drillers and earmarking 3¢ of the tax to restore the Department of Environmental Protection budget t...
Young Philly Politics - Aug 10
Let's start with James Kunstler at Clusterfuck Nation . (Via Mark) The greatest loss of the last decade was not in 401-Ks or manufacturing jobs or foreclosed houses, but the rule of law. Without genuine rule of law, anything goes......
Fact-esque - Aug 10
The Litmus Test By Lorenzo A. Canizares All kinds of excuses are flying around trying to disparage the candidacy of Elizabeth Warren for the head position at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Warren, a law professor at Harvard University, picked by President Obama to be Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel which was created to investigate the banking bailout, has developed a...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 9
The Rationale for State-Owned Banks By Lorenzo A. Canizares Michigan has an unemployment rate of 14 percent, and has been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn. Verg Bernero, Mayor of Lansing, the state’s capital, and a leading democratic candidate for governor, proposes to relieve the state’s economic ills by opening a state-owned bank. He says the bank could protect consumers by making...
Keystone Progress blog - Aug 9
Last Tuesday I called my wife at work and groused to her about how I had wasted three hours trying to accomplish an errand. She replied back: "At least you had three hours to waste." She tearfully informed me that one of my friends had died minutes earlier after battling cancer for 18 months. He was diagnosed in February of 2009 with Lung Cancer. He endured sur...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Aug 9
Apparently the Right has decided that it isn't enough to attack any judicial decision they don't like on the basis of the fact that a judge made it, as per the recent charges over the California same sex decision. No,......
Fact-esque - Aug 9
Congratulations! You've published your first Hub! You may want to sign up for a Google AdSense account so that you can start earning money from your hard work (or associate your existing Google AdSense account) Make sure people read your Hub: Let them know about it! Your new Hub is lonely: Create another Hub ! Let your friends and followers know about your hubs: Share 1...
Three Rivers Online - Aug 9 - 2 clicks
ITEM: My brilliant career with the Examiner news service, run by apparently the Colorado version of Richard Scaife , appears over. Oh, where will I get an extra 40 to 90 dollars a month? I'd probably make more money panhandling. By the way, my career path over the last 10 years resembles this man. Anyway, so this is the story that got all of ...
Three Rivers Online - Aug 9
