"I wanted to do it cause it's fun...it's fun to do bad things, and drive into a car"
This kid will be in and out of the system his whole life.
Grand Theft Auto 7 Year Old - Watch more free videos
The shame of it is, if you caught it, his grandmother, not his mother has custody. The kid was mad at his mother, so he stole grandma's car.
We're doomed, people...doomed.
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Watch this video...
To Expand on a Point...
Alex Charyna, at PA Watercooler, posted a column today that I'd like to expand on as well as take in a different direction.
In his post, Fumo: Pa Legislature Would Legalize Slavery, Alex points out that Outgoing Senator, Vince Fumo, equates the plight of gays and lesbians who want to get "married" to slavery, insofar as, in his opinion, the PA legislature would legalize slavery, if given the choice.
Well, I need to vent her for a moment. First of all, it is reprehensible for Fumo to even suggest that any law-abiding Pennsylvanian would even consider slavery in today's society. We've come a long way, being a key state in the abolition movement both before and during the Civil War (especially here in the Whitemarsh/Plymouth Meeting area, where Quakers actually hosted a stop on the "Underground Railroad"). To compare the two is stoopid.
Vince Fumo, you're stoopid. (roll the tape-see video here)
But this isn't about slavery, even though Mr. Wonderful, Vince "Plaintiff" Fumo, equated the two (probably just to see his name in the paper again).
It's about the institution of marriage and the regulation of the same in our commonwealth.
(here's where we switch directions!)
Let me start by saying that a close family member of mine is gay. I don't hate or dislike him because he's gay. Live and let live is my motto, but, to be fair, his rights end where my rights begin.
I don't believe in gay marriage, pure and simple. I don't have to. I believe, as the church does, that the sacrament of marriage is to be between a man and a woman.
What I can't seem to fathom, given my limited capacity as a conservative Republican, is when did "gay" stop being a sexual orientation and become a"community"? I'm straight. Do I have an official community, task force, and spokesman/woman? No. Why? because, unlike the "gay community" I don't try to force my sexual orientation down anyone's throat (pun very much intended). I don't care to share with the world what my wife and I do behind closed doors. I have too much respect for her and myself to make an issue about it.
Michael Nutter, just this week, appointed "Liason" to the gay "Community". It's preposterous that a sexual orientation gets a paid liason. They say it's purpose is to open a dialog between gays and non-gays to hash out their "issues".
Will this madness ever end?
Forget about gay marriage. It'll never happen. If you want respect, shut up about your sexual orientation. I, and many others don't care who you're sleeping with. We really don't need to hear about it. If you want to be taken seriously, get involved in the community. You'll probably find that most of your neighbors don't care if you're gay, straight, or celibate. They will care if you start making a ruckus about your sex life.
And, at the risk of repeating myself, gay is a sexual orientation. The end. It's not a political issue. Lets stop trying to make a special case out of every little "picked on" group, or, before you know it, we'll have a special hearing and a liason for people who want to marry their hamster. I'd rather my tax dollars be spent on real issues.
That's just my opinion...I'd like to hear yours.
B.
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Interesting Information about the Unemployment Rate:
From PAWatercooler.com:
The Job Market April 30 2008
303,972,298 is the USA population as of April 30, 2008 according to the census. According to the US Dept. of Labor, our unemployment rate is 5.1%. Thus, that is 15,198,614.9 people (or 5.1% of the total population). This means our unemployment is 15.1 million people…let’s dissect this number. [That's not right. The total US population does not equal the total labor force. The number is 7.8 million.-ed]
According to the very same labor data, the vast majority of the unemployed wish to be unemployed. Some have family responsibilities, and others are in school so that they can eventually become employed. Wow…and I thought the big Republicans were ruining the job market? Guess what - they’re NOT!
Read the rest of this interesting article here.
I've never put the unemployment rate into such an unique and, let's face it, intelligent perspective. Rick Tennesen should be commended for showing us the real data, not the hyped up liberal media spin that we are force fed, daily, as the gospel truth.
One thing was left out, though...the percentage of us that hold down more than one job. How does this statistic further skew tha liberal media'd figures to make it even less of a problem? You see, if I can hold down 2 jobs, there must be an abundance of jobs out there, as Tennesen reports. Otherwise, I'd have a piss-poor time finding a part-time job to pay for my hunting trips and guns, let alone putting my tithes into the collection plate of my bitterly clung-to religion of choice.
If there's extra jobs out there for me, then, as put forth so eloquently in the article, there's a crapload of lazy people out there ( discountiung first, all of the stay at home mom's, early retirees, and rich folk who don't haveta work) who just don't feel the need to contribute to society.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Why Not Blame Obama?
By: Lawrence Kudlow,
The Bulletin 04/28/2008
It's rather amusing watching the liberal media launch a full-scale attack on George Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson, with Gen. Tom Shales of the Washington Post leading the charge. ABC's Mr. Stephanopoulos and Mr. Gibson had the audacity to ask Mr. Obama some tough questions during the Democratic debate in Philadelphia. Challenge Mr. Obama with well-informed questions on tax policy and politics? Wound the media favorite? How dare they?
The fallout is fascinating. With members of the mainstream liberal media lunging at each other's throats, it's kind of like watching Hillary Clinton and Mr. Obama go at it.
But here's the deal: During the debate, Mr. Obama bungled his answers on tax policy, big time. Period. End of sentence. End of story. To my liberal friends in the media, all I can say is: Get over it. Your guy has a very poor grasp of basic economic principles.
First off, you don't raise taxes during a recession. That's a no-brainer. Second, doubling the capital-gains tax rate will affect Americans up and down the income ladder, not just rich hedge-fund managers. In addition, capital-gains tax cuts are self-financing, and they stimulate jobs and the economy. You want to raise budget revenues and spark economic growth? Cut the cap-gains tax rate. That's what history shows.
The Wall Street Journal's Steve Moore points out that in 2005, almost half of all tax returns reporting capital gains came from households with incomes under $50,000, while more than three-quarters came from households earning less than $100,000.
Mr. Obama also proposed uncapping the payroll tax, another blunder that will hit people up and down the income ladder. While Obama pledges tax hikes only for folks earning more than $200,000 a year, his tax hike on payrolls would actually slam middle-income earners. The cap on wages subject to the payroll tax is presently $102,000. By eliminating that cap, Mr. Obama will be soaking veteran firemen, cops, teachers and health-service workers, along with a variety of other occupations.
In fact, in America's largest cities, a firefighter married to a schoolteacher can earn close to $200,000 filing jointly. So not only will each spouse separately pay more for Social Security and health care under Mr. Obama's plan, together they'll also be slammed by Mr. Obama's cap-gains tax increase.
This is more than just a failure to understand the Laffer curve. It's another cultural misstep by Mr. Obama. I can't help but wonder if the senator knows any cops or firemen. His appeal is to well-educated latte liberals. That remark about middle-income folks having turned to God, faith and guns because of economic setbacks? Not only was it ill-advised, but it illustrates the wide cultural chasm that exists between the candidate and the rest of America.
In effect, Mr. Obama's economics are bad, and his social circle is very limited. This is one of the many reasons why a quarter of the Hillary Democrats are telling pollsters they'll likely move to John McCain in the general election.
Mr. Obama's real agenda is far-liberal left. It's an ideology that places income redistribution above economic growth. That's his real message. And it's the same one that sunk Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore and John Kerry. Bill Clinton? He was a growth Democrat. So he won twice. But Mr. Obama is aligning himself with the Democratic losers. And that will make him a loser, as well.
The Pennsylvania results show that Hillary's pit-bull routine worked. But that's a different issue. What I'm saying is that liberals need to quit blaming Mr. Gibson and Mr. Stephanopoulos for Mr. Obama's shortcomings. Instead, they need to blame Mr. Obama for failing to grasp how tax penalties on upward mobility will hurt the very people he thinks he's going to help.
Jack Kemp has effectively made the point that African-American communities desperately need capital in order to create new businesses and jobs. Yet as Mr. Obama takes the capital out of capitalism, all those who are not rich will be hurt when the rich folks with capital have less of it - after tax - to invest in those new businesses and new jobs.
That's exactly why wealth-redistribution plans always backfire. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is a surefire economic loser. So is putting government in charge of the economy, which is what Mr. Obama is proselytizing.
This marks the third mistake for the Illinois senator. Not only does he not understand economics, not only is he set apart from middle-class values and beliefs, he apparently hasn't read much history, either.
Did someone say inexperience?
Lawrence Kudlow is CEO of Kudlow & Co. and co-hosts CNBC's "Kudlow & Kramer."
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Monday, April 28, 2008
RE: Casino History
Today, Alex at PAWatercooler posted a very interesting story, at least for myself and my family.
You see, I grew up in the Kensington area of Philly, but spent many a week or two every summer, in my youth, staying with my grandparents in the Fishtown section, where my parents grew up.
Fishtown's historical significance has often been swept aside and given the poor treatment that the neighborhood's unusual moniker has brought upon it...unfairly, of course, but the name isn't one that a lot of "outsiders" would take very seriously, even for the sake of it's colorful historical background.
Look around, and you'll see the words "Penn Treaty" all over the neighborhood...Why, you may ask? Well, the park that bears this name is thought to be the place where William Penn first made his treaty with the Leni Lenape indiginous peoples of the Delaware Valley, creating what we know today to be Pennsylvania. The statue of William Penn, atop the city hall tower, is facing (and rightly so) the stretch of land along the Delaware River where the treaty took place.
As written in the article linked to Alex's post, there was a significant British presence in the area, with "Redoubt #1" being right in the center of the area now being slated for the "Sugarhouse" Casino.
To not give the area the historical significance it deserves is both egregious and appalling...to rob the people of Pennsylvania any historically poignant landmarks, for the sake of greed, is a slap in the face to the heritage that we, as Pennsylvanians, and more importantly, myself and the scores of families that were raised and played in the Fishtown section deserve.
So, in this case, I'm all for stopping "progress"...let's support the archaeological significance of the area and give the little hamlet with the funny name it's just due...we may just find that the area's rich history is worth more than any casino business' money could possibly buy.
Read Alex's post and link to the original article here.
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Monday Morning Funnies
Time to get back to doing what I do best...I've been a bit off for the past few weeks, with the election, the days leading up to it, and a yucky case of the flu that I'm still trying to get over...
Blah, Blah, Blah...here's the funnies:
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Sunday, April 27, 2008
Gun Crazy
By: Mike Mallowe, The Bulletin
04/25/2008
Monday morning, the city of Philadelphia is scheduled to return to court before Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan, to try to re-impose gun control laws that the State Supreme Court, the state legislature and the District Attorney, Lynne Abraham, all agree are unenforceable.
The point of law is clear: Local cities and towns are not allowed to impose their own gun control ordinances. Only the state (or commonwealth, in Pennsylvania's case) can do that. This is called the rule of pre-emption. The states pre-emptively withhold certain rights for themselves; two of the most relevant happen to be gun control and traffic enforcement.
"Can you imagine what it would be like to drive a car from neighborhood to neighborhood, or town to town, if each little government could make up its own traffic laws and enforce them?"
That question was posed by a lawyer from Media, S. Scott Shields. He's representing the National Rifle Association in its war against Philadelphia's new gun control laws. And, actually, Mr. Shields, I certainly can imagine what that would be like because I happen to live and drive in Delaware County, where the local police pretty much do that already. It is madness. Allowing each municipality, even one as big and powerful as Philadelphia, to make up its own gun laws would be adding more madness to the existing madness.
Since the lawyers representing the city in this matter on Monday are in the employ of the city solicitor's office, and because they do not work for free, and because lawyers are expensive to hire under any circumstances, it might be perfectly reasonable to ask whether the people's money is being wasted here. There is no point of law to decide. That's been taken care of.
Of course, that question is as loaded, politically and emotionally speaking, as any .45 handgun.
Regardless of your sentiments on the specifics of gun control, this is, separate and apart, a pretty fair question to ask in a city that knows what it's like to have six or more murders over a weekend.
What, exactly, is Mayor Michael Nutter up to when he coaxes City Council into unanimously passing five gun control ordinances that have already failed to gain the necessary support in Harrisburg? Who is fooling whom here? Sure, Mr. Nutter is making his point, but so what? Other people have made the same point, just as effectively, including the governor of Pennsylvania.
The NRA, in the person of their executive vice-president, Wayne La Pierre, recently provided an answer. "They're only engaged in more political theater," he told his faithful followers on the NRA's Web site. Mr. La Pierre then continued, "And while they're play-acting at solving the crime problem [in Philadelphia], your neighborhoods are still at risk."
A sudden flash of inspiration intrudes: What if Wayne La Pierre is right?
That Philadelphia has a gun problem is beyond debate: Too many Philadelphians are using guns to commit crimes, including murder. But what good are let's-pretend laws?
That very question - What happens to new laws that can't be enforced? - was recently put to Philadelphia's police commissioner, Charles Ramsey, in writing, by way of his press office. To date, the commissioner has offered no response, not even a "no comment." That's odd, too, because when Mr. Ramsey came here, as the mayor's most important appointee, his baggage included a reputation for knowing his way around public relations opportunities. Stonewalling is not to be confused with taking advantage of a PR opportunity.
The five ordinances in question are largely familiar re-workings of state legislative proposals that have already been shot down: a limit of one gun purchase per month; no ownership of automatic, or combat weapons; the imposition of arrest or a fine if your gun is stolen and you fail to immediately report it to the police. These are the main points. Limiting gun purchases to one per month is the only proposal that even made it to the voting floor in pro-gun Pennsylvania, where it, too, was promptly defeated.
Wasting time and money in court on Monday will save no lives. And, isn't that the point?
So, really, what is this all about? Mayor Nutter is a very bright man. What's the hidden agenda on this apparent fool's errand in court, and at taxpayer expense? The NRA has already persuaded the judge to issue a restraining order prohibiting the police from arresting anyone based on the new ordinances. Police Commissioner Ramsey has been through all this once before, in Washington D.C., where another local gun control law worked its way right up to the United States Supreme Court.
The clear intent of what Mr. La Pierre is calling "political theatre" is the faint hope that some court, somewhere, will entertain an argument that can lead to the possible invalidation of that rule of pre-emption in which the state keeps the good stuff for itself.
That will not happen on Monday in Judge Cutler's court. You can bet on that. Mayor Nutter knows this. He has promised the city to be all about performance and not just promises. It is never too soon to hold him to this.
Mike Mallowe can be reached at mmallowe@thebulletin.us
©The Evening Bulletin 2008
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Ain't That the Shizzle?
I guess the liberals only protect the religious freedom of those "preferred" religions, like Islam...
Amish Men Say They Won’t Pay FIne or Appeal Outhouses Offenses
By SANDRA K. REABUCKThe Tribune-Democrat
HASTINGS — Two Amish men were convicted Thursday of summary criminal offenses for having two unpermitted outhouses at a Barr Township school and for dumping the waste illegally.
Landowner Andy Swartzentruber and Sam Yoder, an elder in the Amish sect in charge of the school, were fined $1,000 each, plus costs, by District Judge Michael Zungali. The judge warned them that they would face up to 90 days in jail unless they paid.
Swartzentruber and Yoder, who represented themselves at the hearing, said they would neither appeal nor pay.
If no appeal is made, Zungali said he will set up a payment plan. If no payment is made, Zungali then could impose the jail sentence, which also could be appealed to county court.
The charges were filed by the county sewage enforcement agency, which said the outhouses use buckets instead of a tank that is legally emptied, and the raw waste is being dumped onto farm fields.
The defendants, members of the ultraconservative Swartzentruber sect, said the requirements violate their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.
Officials contend accommodations can be made but that the defendants had not cooperated.
For example, the state allowed an Amish sect to use a hydraulic pump instead of an electrical pump to remove the waste.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Political Odd Couple
The Intelligencer
LAST WEEK MONTGOMERY County Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel told fellow Republican Commissioner Bruce Castor, “You’re acting like a little boy on the playground who was not selected quarterback so you’re taking your ball and going home.”
There are probably a lot of days when Castor would like to take his ball and go home. It’s been like that in the few months since he was elected one of the county’s two majority GOP commissioners along with Jim Matthews.
It’s not unusual to see commissioners of different parties sniping at each other. What is strange is that Hoeffel the Democrat and Matthews the Republican have forged an alliance that has left Castor the odd man out, a majority commissioner in name only, as it were.
What sparked Hoeffel’s playground analogy is an economic development plan that he and Matthews set in motion by voting to establish a 22- member task force that will help establish the direction for the county’s policy. Castor voted against the action, saying he was only given the list of task force members late Wednesday before the Thursday vote and that he does not know most of the people on it. When Hoeffel said Castor was given weeks to suggest his own names ˜ and told his colleague he “must be sadly out of touch if you don’t recognize these names”, Castor said he offered no names because doing so would have validated the plan, which he called “a sham.”
Hoeffel and Matthews favor a countywide approach to economic development; Castor wants something on a smaller scale. Of course the charge of politics is being tossed around.
Some people may find it entertaining to see Montgomery County’s version of the political odd couple calling the shots in Norristown. As long as good government isn’t sacrificed, having the recognized watchdog on the board of commissioners being from the majority party isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It appears Castor, rather than Hoeffel, is destined to be the commissioner cast in what is ordinarily the minority party representative’s role.
Disillusioned voters will have to pay special attention: What they have in the courthouse is not what they voted for last November.
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James Rex, the Movie
Scene 1: December 17, 2007. Ray's Diner. 9:00 a.m.
Bob Kerns: "Jim, don't do it. Don't let down your supporters, the committee, all your donors, and the voters. Please reconsider. It is not too late."
(soon to be) King James, III: "I know my poltitcal career is over. I'm not running for anything again. I know this will kill the party. I don't care. It's a quality of life thing. I was very unhappy with Marino and Ellis. I am not finishing up that way. A quality of life thing."
Scene 2: Four months later...
King James III ponders his quality of life, now...Marino and Ellis didn't always agree with him, but they never spent every waking moment making his life Hell. King James is now a pariah within the county party. He has no respect among the county workers, he is the butt of jokes in statewide GOP circles. No candidate wants to be endorsed by him for any office. Just being identified in the media as "the Matthews choice" for any office dooms that office seeker. Perhaps the most well-known and trusted political figure in the county relentlessly seeks ways to make life miserable for His Majesty, delights in doing so, and will never stop attacking.
Scene 3: Montage
In social settings, people are becoming more and more confrontational. El turdo has to force himself on people to get acknowledgement...even resorting to "shake-rape". Gets his brother to have MCDC shairman, Marcel Groen, on "Hardball"- forming yet another alliance with a top democrat.
Scene 4: Friday, April 25, 2008...North Hills Country Club
Sipping his 5th Dewar's in as many minutes, James the Turd ponders...I thought these people still liked me. Yeah, that's right...they do. I'm here because they don't serve Dewar's next door....riiiiiiight.
Think again...
Just how is that quality of life, Jimbo?
Screenplay by: Juanada Tree Kmisczs
Director: Sweet Willie Dozer
Cast:
King James the Turd: Chris "Corky" Burke
Joe Hoeffel: Tim Robbins
Bruce Castor: Arnold Schwartzenegger
Chris Mathews: Frank Calliendo
Bob Kerns: Charleton Heston (in his last, great role)
Writemarsh Editor Bill Shaw: Drew Carey
Related: Obama Loss & The Matthews Effect April 24 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Goodly Works, Done by Goodly People
My good friend and confidant, Brian Miles, has held a fundraiser the last two years, in honor of his father, Ron, who succumbed to prostate cancer a few years ago.
Last year, the family-run "Ron Miles Foundation" gave $10,000 to the Montgomery Hospital Hospice, who was instrumental in making Mr. Miles last days as comfortable as they possibly could.
The Miles Family held it's 2nd annual event in February, and was able to acheive even haughtier goals this year. They increased their charitable output by 50%, and was able to give the Hospice a $12,000 check. They added another beneficiary of their generocity, Crossing the Finish Line", who received $3,000 from the RMF. "Crossing the Finish Line" is a charity organization whose main purpose is to give new cancer patients a chance to live a little when the outlook isn't so rosy. Kind of like Hospice care for the beginning patient, with the emphasis
on living, rather than the alternative.
.
My family was invited to share in the day of giving, Monday, April 21, 2008 at the presentation of the checks to the deserving organizations. As the creator of the "big checks" that the family presented. I was both proud and humbled that the Miles family would have me share a very special day with them.
God Bless the Miles Family...they do His goodly work!
*****UPDATE*****
For more Information on the Ron Miles Memorial Fund, click:
For more Information on the Ron Miles Memorial Fund, click:
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Totals from Writemarsh!, West-1
Not unlike Alex C from PA Watercooler, I spent most of the day at my poll...I took a 2 hour respite to get off my feet, as I came to the polls right from my job (with a stop for a shower and fresh clothes).
The results of my day?
374 voters (of 1217 registered) showed up. Hillary! got 155 votes (52.54%), Obamessiah! got 140 (47.46%)...pretty close, considering there were only 3 undervotes for POTUS.
My wife, (the lovely) Karen and I both ran for re-election to Committee, Karen receiving one more vote than i, 56 to 55 votes. 75 republicans bothered to show up to vote...I guess they couldn't be bothered to vote their way to the bottom, as there were 18 undervotes for my wife, 18 undervotes for myself, with one joker writing himself in for committeeman, which puzzles me because I don't know him personally, so there's no way I could have pissed him off.
Everyone I got absentee ballots for voted and got counted, which is good.
It was a very long day, ending at the Blue Bell Inn, courtesy of our future chairman, Robert Kerns, Esquire. A couple of JD/Rocks (I know, I know...I prefer it "neat", but, I was alone and had to drive home, hence the watered down drinks) and it was time to head home. I arrived home at 12 midnight, after a run of 34 hours up, with a 2 hour half-nap.
In my world, that's politcs as usual.
Happy day after election day!
C'mon May 8th!
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Amazing
Something amazing happened over the weekend, while I was away. My blog registered 5000 hits ( and then some).
I owe it to all of you, the readers, that I have hit this milestone.
I will continue to do my best to inform and entertain you.
It's amazing what happens when you're sitting in a boat, catfishing. ( I got my limit and am having a good, ol' fashioned fish fry on Thursday...complete with hush puppies!)
Thanks again!
B.
Monday, April 21, 2008
In Response to:
Anonymous, who left me a message at this post questioning why I haven't commented, either positively or negatively on the issue surrounding the Paolino/Rogers fiasco.
I was out of town this weekend, as this story was unfolding. Camping on the northern shore of the Chesapeake, in Cecil County, MD, I wasn't afforded the luxury of electricity or a wifi link...besides, I was fishing for catfish this weekend, not blog stories.
Anyway, what could I add to this story that hasn't already been covered? How about this:
Ken Davis, in a similar move, placed himself on the ballot as Delegate to the National Convention as a write-in candidate. Next to his name, on the "official green ballot" it says "endorsed"...I am a committeeman in the 6th Congressional District. I can't recall an endorsement meeting where Ken was endorsed, by the committee, over those who made sure their petitions were filed in a timely manner...Mary Shorley and Janet Garner.
Has there been a cry of outrage over this bit of fraud? No. Why? Because Ken Davis cheats. Because Ken Davis changes the rules to benefit Ken Davis.
Ken Davis dropped the ball when circulating his petition. He placed himself on the ballot in a pitiful move to steal yet another election. In light of the Paolino incident, Ken Davis should have led by example and put the proper people on the ballot-rather than deceive the voters by calling himself endorsed.
If you live in the 6th, pull the lever for Shorley and Garner...show Ken Davis that he shouldn't go after one candidate (Paolino) for the same thing he, himself has chosen to do. Show him that we will not stand for any more of his shenanigans.
B.
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Obama gives Hillary! "the Finger"
Watch as the Obamessiah gives the Hildebeast that subtle "Scratch your nose with the middle finger" eff-you:
Obama Gives Hillary the Finger - Watch more free videos
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
Iwo Jima Veterans Blast Time's "Special Environmental Issue" Cover
Time editor tells MSNBC 'there needs to be a real effort along the lines of World War II to combat global warming and climate change.'
(ed. note: The "Time" editor is a senseless boob)
By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
4/17/2008 5:24:05 PM
For only the second time in 85 years, Time magazine abandoned the traditional red border it uses on its cover. The occasion – to push more global warming alarmism.
The cover of the April 21 issue of Time took the famous Iwo Jima photograph by Joe Rosenthal of the Marines raising the American flag and replaced the flag with a tree. The cover story by Bryan Walsh calls green “the new red, white and blue.”
Donald Mates, an Iwo Jima veteran, told the Business & Media Institute on April 17 that using that photograph for that cause was a “disgrace.”
“It’s an absolute disgrace,” Mates said. “Whoever did it is going to hell. That’s a mortal sin. God forbid he runs into a Marine that was an Iwo Jima survivor.”
Mates also said making the comparison of World War II to global warming was erroneous and disrespectful.
“The second world war we knew was there,” Mates said. “There’s a big discussion. Some say there is global warming, some say there isn’t. And to stick a tree in place of a flag on the Iwo Jima picture is just sacrilegious.”
According to the American Veterans Center (AVC), Mates served in the 3rd Marine Division and fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, landing on Feb. 24, 1945.
“A few days later, Mates’ eight-man patrol came under heavy assault from Japanese forces,” Tim Holbert, a spokesman for the AVC, said. “During fierce-hand-to-hand combat, Mates watched as his friend and fellow Marine, Jimmy Trimble, was killed in front of his eyes. Mates was severely wounded, and underwent repeated operations for shrapnel removal for over 30 years.”
Lt. John Keith Wells, the leader of the platoon that raised the flags on Mt. Suribachi and co-author of “Give Me Fifty Marines Not Afraid to Die: Iwo Jima” wasn’t impressed with Time’s efforts.
“That global warming is the biggest joke I’ve ever known,” Wells told the Business & Media Institute. “[W]e’ll stick a dadgum tree up somebody’s rear if they want that and think that’s going to cure something.”
Time managing editor Richard Stengel appeared on MSNBC April 17 and said the United States needed to make a major effort to fight climate change, and that the cover’s purpose was to liken global warming to World War II.
“[O]ne of the things we do in the story is we say there needs to be an effort along the lines of preparing for World War II to combat global warming and climate change,” Stengel said. “It seems to me that this is an issue that is very popular with the voters, makes a lot of sense to them and a candidate who can actually bundle it up in some grand way and say, ‘Look, we need a national and international Manhattan Project to solve this problem and my candidacy involves that.’ I don't understand why they don’t do that.”
Holbert, a speaking on behalf of the American Veterans Center, said the editorial decision by Time to use the photograph for the cover trivialized the cause the veterans fought for.
“Global warming may or may not be a significant threat to the United States,” Holbert said. “The Japanese Empire in February of 1945, however, certainly was, and this photo trivializes the most recognizable moment of one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history. War analogies should be used sparingly by political advocates of all bents.”
Stengel also appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on April 17 and had no difficulty admitting the magazine needed to have a “point of view.”
“I think since I’ve been back at the magazine, I have felt that one of the things that’s needed in journalism is that you have to have a point of view about things,” Stengel said. “You can’t always just say ‘on the one hand, on the other’ and you decide. People trust us to make decisions. We’re experts in what we do. So I thought, you know what, if we really feel strongly about something let's just say so.”
Time has been banging the global warming drum for some time now. In April 2007, Time offered 51 ways to “save the planet,” which included more taxes and regulation.
(ed. note: Freakin' Communists!) Read Full Text/Comments
Judge Blocks Philadelphia From Enforcing Gun Laws New
4/17/2008, 2:28 p.m. EDT
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the city from enforcing new, local gun-control laws until she hears a challenge from the National Rifle Association.
The NRA argues that state law prevents Pennsylvania municipalities from regulating guns, a view that even the city's crime-weary district attorney shares.
"The city has no basis to pass any of these gun-control ordinances and they know it," lawyer C. Scott Shields argued on the NRA's behalf.
City lawyers posit that Philadelphia can pass gun-control ordinances if the laws are outside the scope of state measures. As an example, lawyer Mark Zecca told the judge that one Pennsylvania county had banned guns at its courthouse.
Common Pleas Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan scheduled arguments for April 28. She said she would rule very quickly, although her decision is sure to be appealed by the losing side.
Among other things, the five city ordinances passed April 10 ban the sale of assault weapons; require owners to report a lost or stolen gun within 24 hours; and limit firearms purchases to one a month. They came in response to the city's one-a-day murder rate and its reputation for being a weapons source for criminals in New York and other states with strict gun laws.
Mayor Michael Nutter, who declared a "crime emergency" shortly after taking office in January, quickly signed the City Council bills into law — despite still-pending litigation over earlier gun-control efforts.
Council members Darrell L. Clarke and Donna Reed Miller sponsored a set of gun-control measures last year, then sued the Legislature to allow them to move forward. That case is pending.
In 2005, Philadelphia voters passed a nonbinding referendum — by a 4-1 ratio — imploring the state to let the city enact its own gun laws.
The court ruling that gave the state power over gun laws dates to 1974. On Tuesday, city District Attorney Lynne Abraham called the new statutes unconstitutional and said she would not enforce them.
Cutler Greenspan seemed interested in the city's argument about creating laws "outside the zone" of the state power. But she also sympathized with gun retailers who might not know what they can legally sell while the case is litigated.
Shields' clients include retailers who regularly sell assault weapons, he said.
"People have to know how to behave. They really do," Cutler Greenspan said. "I'm just trying to maintain the status quo for a very short time.
"Hopefully," she added, half under her breath, "nobody will be shot with a gun purchased (in the next few weeks)."
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Chris Matthews is a Self Centered Boob
A very wordy article about Chris Matthews sent to me by a good friend yesterday (it took this long to read it...warning-it's long)
This paints Matthews as a self-important know-it-all...seems like that just happens to run in the family, eh, King James the
The Aria of Chris Matthews
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Imaginary Snipers, Obama's Messianic Strain, 'Bitter' Voters
By: Peter L. DeCoursey, For The Bulletin
04/15/2008
Until last Friday, I was not able to imagine a more effective fall TV presidential campaign commercial than something like this:
"It's 2009. Terrorism. China. Russia. Iraq. Afghanistan. Iran. Do you want a president who stood up? [Picture of U.S. Sen. John McCain.] Or [picture of Clinton] a president who remembers sniper fire no one else heard, saw or remembers?"
Sure, here in Pennsylvania, Sen. McCain has a lot of 'splainin' to do, but, gosh, if you wanted a better contrast than Clinton making up a gunfire incident compared to a victim of enemy torture, I can't imagine what it would be.
Until last Friday, anyway. Then it became public that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made astonishingly elitist and arrogant remarks at a San Francisco fundraiser.
Sen. Obama said even when voters like his issue positions, "the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
It is dizzying to count up all the ways that statement insults anyone not voting for Sen. Obama.
Those voters are clearly stupid, according to Sen. Obama, since they are planning to support either Sen. McCain or Sen. Clinton, who are going to fail these communities as Bush and Clinton and former President Ronald Reagan did before them.
Their inability to believe that Sen. Obama is going to be different and better than every other president is born of them being "bitter" over the failures of other politicians.
And in their bitterness, "they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
Geez, Sen. Obama, couldn't they just honestly, without being racist or nativist or gun nuts or whatever, just prefer another candidate for president?
Do they have to be stupid and taking refuge in racism or gun idolatry to think someone else is better than you?
Sen. Obama said Sunday that he may have misspoken, chosen his words badly, and "that it is unfortunate that in this political process, people are trying to misconstrue my words" and that Sen. Clinton is not believable mocking him as an elitist.
But he kept defending his comments, just as when he said his grandmother fearing black men on the street was the reaction of a "typical white person."
And here's the worst part: He was talking about fellow Democrats that way, dismissing as duped yahoos folks who basically agree with him.
The word for someone who thinks the world is divided into those who agree with him and those who are wrong, bitter and clinging to outdated ideas is "arrogant." And that is one of the nicer words for it.
And frankly, if you read that quote, it is more clear evidence of the messianic strain that is so bothersome about the Obama campaign.
He keeps saying that he can do things no one else has done, that he is unique in being able to do them. He says only he can unify Americans in a way no past president has done, to achieve major liberal goals a majority of the public has shot down like a skeet duck every time they are proposed.
He says he, and only he, can deliver us from the Old Politics of division and lack of progress to a New Politics of Unity.
And he has made millions of Americans get starry-eyed to the point of believing it.
But it is more than the Gospel of Obama stuff that is worrying. It is that he and any other smart person know how much of the stuff he is saying is hogwash.
No president could have or can now save manufacturing jobs from going places where they can make the same stuff more cheaply and mostly just as well.
No president makes more than a tiny difference in the economy. They are like the third base coach on a baseball team. They can lose or win a game for you, and if the team wins the World Series, they get a ring. But they are by no means, and Sen. Obama knows this, decisive in the economy.
But forget that realpolitik stuff and the messianic thing - the "only I, Barack Obama, can save America" bit - and ask yourself, what is the central premise of the Obama campaign?
It is that he is uniquely able to bring together all strains of Americans to stampede the politicians into solving our national problems: health care, education, energy and other issues.
If he is already name-calling Democrats for not voting for him, how in the world is he going to unite them, much less all Americans? By blaming their unwillingness to vote for him on past presidents? By saying they cling to guns or issues and vote against him out of bitterness? Yeah, that seems like it'll work.
Sen. Obama still leads in overall delegates and popular votes. But he has impressively closed the "idiotic statement" lead Sen. Clinton held.
Peter L. DeCoursey is Harrisburg bureau chief for Capitolwire.
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Former democratic Jury Commissioner Gets HUGE Break:
Tavern owner placed in probation program for first-time, non-violent offenders
By MARGARET GIBBONS , Times Herald Staff
COURTHOUSE — The former Democratic Montgomery County jury commissioner, charged criminally with possessing an illegal gambling machine at a tavern she owns, yesterday was placed in a diversionary program for first-time offenders.
Montgomery County Judge Bernard A. Moore approved a request from Joanne C. Olszewski, 64, of Blue Bell and defense attorney Robert E. Goldman for placement in the county’s Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program.
ARD is a probation diversion program for first-time offenders of non-violent crimes.
The program allows offenders to clear their records after successfully completing the conditions of their probation. The program does not require a defendant to admit to a crime.
Moore directed Olszewski to serve a one-year probationary sentence, pay $1,729 in court costs, testify truthfully against any of her co-defendants if required and perform 36 hours of community service with a volunteer environmental group in Springfield Township.
Read the rest of the article here.
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Two Things About Philly D.A. Lynn Abraham That I Find Quite Attractive...
...she's pro-death penalty and she has a brain!
Reported first at pawatercooler.com, Philly D.A Lynn Abraham has gone on record saying she will not prosecute any of the new gun laws enacted (illegally) by Philadelphia City Council last week.
Kudo's to Abraham for having more cojones than all of the boobs on city council combined.
FYI, the news reports said that the vote was unanimous...so, vote all of those bastards out next time they're up for re-election. Mickey Mouse and Goofy would do a better job at governing "the city" than those yahoos have.
In a region where 3 of the 5 district attorneys are women, it's refreshing to see that they aren't wallflowers...Lynn Abraham, Montgomery County D.A., Risa V. Ferman and Bucks County's Michelle Henry are three tough broads when it comes to the law. We're both blessed and lucky to have such dedicated public officials putting away the bad guys and, more importantly, standing up for the good guys.
B.
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'Tip to my friend, ALEXC, at PAWatercooler who posted this ad from Dunkin Donuts for a free donut on tax day (which is today, people...get 'em filed!).
For the record, though, this is the best Dunkin Donuts commercial ever made, bar none:
Ace Frehley for Dunkin' Donuts
(I'm a huge, old school, Rock and Roll All Night and Party Everyday KISS fan!)
"I'll give you your P & L statement!"...heh
B.
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Local Republicans Competing for Votes in Upcoming Primary
By MARGARET GIBBONS , Times Herald Staff
COURTHOUSE — Lance Rogers. Lisa Paolino.
Who are these people?
While most attention in the upcoming April 22 primary election is focussed on the high-profile Democratic presidential contest, there also are other contests on the ballot.
One of the races flying below the political radar is the Republican battle for the 17th District state Senate seat now held by retiring Democrat Connie Williams.
Rogers turned back a bid by Montgomery County Sheriff John P. Durante in securing the GOP endorsement for his candidacy.
(ed. note: Although flying "below the radar" as Gibbons puts it, there is a spark of controversy surrounding the Rogers/Paolino race):
That endorsement vote came under fire by both Durante and Paolino, who was not even on the ballot, because it only involved votes from Montgomery County GOP committee members in the 17th District.
The district includes the Montgomery County municipalities of Norristown, West Conshohocken, Bridgeport, Conshohocken, Narberth, Upper Merion, Plymouth, East Norriton and Lower Merion. It also includes the Delaware County townships of Haverford and Radnor.
Montgomery County Republican Chairman Ken Davis, a Lower Merion resident who supported Rogers’ candidacy, explained it is traditional for the county that forms the largest part of a district to make the endorsement so that endorsements are not split.
(The real threat of Paolino actually winning continues to be a thorn in the side of soon to be private citizen, Ken Davis, who penned his displeasure concerning her take on the endorsement process, in a recent letter to the editor of the Main Line Times, rebutted by Radnor GOP Committee Chair, Mimi Auchincloss, here)
“It was odd that there was a so-called endorsement process that excluded one (herself) of the three candidates and one-third of the committee people,” said Paolino, whose candidacy has received the unanimous endorsement of the Radnor GOP committee.
(Click here for audio of Ken Davis' phone message concerning the endorsement process)
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Kretschman: Purported Slumlord?
From Margaret Gibbons Saturday, April 12 Opinion column:
Is former county controller Eric S. Kretschman a slum landlord?
That is what newspapers in Washington, D.C., would have you believe.
Kretschman is vice president of a company that owns a handful of apartment complexes in Washington.
An 85-unit building in one of those complexes last month was gutted by a fire. The building had been cited 7,755 times for code violations, according to the Washington Post.
The newspaper suggested that the Kretschman company practices “eviction by neglect,” by allowing buildings to deteriorate to a point where tenants feel compelled to move out. The owner can then sell the property for a better price than was initially paid for it.
Kretschman has denied the allegations, claiming money was spent each year to improve the buildings and that the company had provided “very good housing at a very good price,” according to the Washington Post.
Kretschman is quoted in the Washington Post article:"Company Vice President Eric Kretschman said that NWJ has not violated any laws or mistreated tenants and that he did not recall receiving notices for that many code violations. He said NWJ filed the suit against Reynolds because he did not have permission to enter the building and because the cleanup damaged the property. The suit is pending.For the record, on November 20, 2007,Kretschman was appointed to the Montgomery County Community College board of trustees by Montgomeryshire's own King James III. Lose out on an election (Kretschman was nosed out of the running by West Conshohocken resident and Asst. D.A. Robert Sander), get a cushy appointment by supporting James Rex.
"Nobody is perfect, but I think we do a very good job year after year of improving these buildings," Kretschman said. "We are not the guys forcing people out. We're providing very good housing at a very good price."
I wonder, with his building "acquisition" business, if he gets his financing from Keegan Mortgage?
I'll report more as the story develops.
B. Read Full Text/Comments
Monday, April 14, 2008
Reader Sounds Off
The Reporter Online has feedback page not unlike the Times Heralds "2 cents" section called:
"Sound Off For Monday". (scroll halfway down)
Nice to see that the readers in the North Penn/Hatfield area are so engaged in their county government enough to "sound off" about it, still.
To those of us who think enough is enough about the traitorous vendetta of James Rex, Ruler of Montgomeryshire, I quote:
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."'nuff said.
George Santayana
B.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Philly restaurants Might be Required to Post Nutrition info
From The Reporter Online:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ A Philadelphia City Council committee has approved a bill that would require restaurant chains and other eateries to post nutrition information about the food and beverages on their menus and menu boards.
The measure would apply to chains of ten or more restaurants, as well as convenience stores, delis, bakeries, and even coffee shops.
The information to be disclosed would include calories, fat and carbs.
Supporters say the bill would give people choices about what they want to eat. Critics say the measure is too broad and cumbersome.
A final vote could come as early as May 1.
______________________________
Far be it from me to criticize Philly city council, but, c'mon already. People do not eat at chain restaurants (read: fast food) and convenience stores because the want a healthy meal...they want something that tastes good and fill "the void". For city council to take up any of the taxpayer's time and money on such a ludicrous task is both wasteful and condescending...that people cannot make up their minds about what they want to eat without a calorie chart just spits in the face of peoples good judgment and stinks of the continuing "nanny state" that Philadelphia is trying to create for itself...don't worry about a thing-Big Brother is watching out for you.
Well, Philly, you reap what you sow. If you keep electing these boobs who think they know what's better for you than you yourself do, you deserve what you get. I, on the other hand, will have the triple Whopper with extra mayo...not because it's good for me...because I'm hungry and it just tastes good...and that's good enough for me.
B.
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'Potter' Author Seeks to Block Fan Book
Why am I posting this?NEW YORK (AP) -- Author J.K. Rowling is eager to tell a judge this week that one of her biggest fans is in fantasyland if he believes a "Harry Potter" encyclopedia he plans to publish does not violate her copyrights.
The showdown between Rowling and the fan, Steven Vander Ark, is scheduled to last most of the week in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Rowling is scheduled to testify Monday in a trial that is sure to generate huge interest among Harry Potter fans and the public. Her lawyer has arranged with the judge to have a private security guard for Rowling in the courtroom and for the author to spend breaks in the seclusion of a jury room - away from any die-hard Potter fans in attendance.
The trial comes eight months after Rowling published her seventh and final book in the widely popular Harry Potter series. The books have been published in 64 languages, sold more than 400 million copies and spawned a film franchise that has pulled in $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office. (read the rest of the story here)
I helped, in my small way, to make this woman a billionaire. We bought the books, paid to see the movies in the theater, bought the merchandise...all of which added to Joanne (J.K.) Rowling's bottom line.
It seems that the billionaire status she enjoys just isn't enough. There is a man who has been compiling Potter facts on a website for years...a site so informative that the author herself confesses to using it for research.
That man, Steven Vander Ark (a HUGE Potter fan) has decided to turn his wealth of information into a book, basically a Harry Potter encyclopedia. And Rowling is angry. Why? She claims copywrite infringement.
My question is this: if she used his website as a research tool, why not let him publish the book and cash in on his years of hard work and diligence?
Hmmmmmm. the "Double Jeopardy" question is: What is greed, Alex?
She should endorse his book as the Official Harry Potter Encyclopedia, pen a forward to it and let the poor guy make a buck. She's come a long way from the cold water walk-up she lived in while wrting her first Potter book. Maybe she should embrace this man's work as an homage to her own and get over herself.
This may very well decide whether or not we see the last two installments of her movies or not...I'll wait for her to come to her senses. Read Full Text/Comments
Saturday, April 12, 2008
SNOBAMA!
From the lips of the Snobamamessiah:
“You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them…And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.
- And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Vlahos Out, Kerns In
Jim Vlahos, in a classy move to promote Republican party unity, has withdrawn as a candidate for Republican Committee Chairman.
A letter will be mailed by Vlahos to all committee members tomorrow.
Tony Phyrillas has the full story here, and you can download the letter here.
Margaret Gibbons, of the Times Herald, reports on the great news here.
From Writemarsh to Mr. Vlahos:
Thank you! You've done more for party unity in one day than we've seen done in almost 4 years.
There's light at the end of the tunnel...finally!
B.
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Kerns’ Vow: GOP HQ to Move
Party Chairman Candidate Wants
Presence Back in Norristown
By MARGARET GIBBONS , Times Herald Staff
COURTHOUSE — Lansdale lawyer Robert J. Kerns, one of two candidates vying to become chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, vows that, if elected next month, he will move the party’s headquarters back to Norristown.
Returning the party’s headquarters to Norristown will help with the borough’s revitalization efforts, but there is also a political reason for the return, according to Kerns, the Upper Gwynedd GOP municipal chairman.
“Re-establishing our party’s presence in Norristown will demonstrate a commitment to the citizens of our county seat and will put the Democrats on notice that we will never concede a single municipality, precinct or voter,” said Kerns, referring to the fact that Norristown now has a majority of Democratic voters.
Republicans pulled their headquarters out of Norristown more than eight years ago. They explained that the building the party owned on Swede Street, several blocks from the county courthouse, had become too small for party functions. In addition, it was not wired for modern-day technology.
A lack of parking and a perception that Norristown was unsafe at night also contributed to the move at that time.
The move took the GOP to a storefront in an East Norriton shopping center.
The county GOP moved its headquarters again last year, this time to an office complex in the 800 block of DeKalb Pike in Whitpain.
In contrast, the county Democratic Committee has kept its headquarters in Norristown.
Once operating out of an office building in the first block of West Marshall Street, Democrats in July 2006 moved their headquarters to the first block of East Airy Street, directly across the street from the county courthouse.
The move was designed to give the party a higher profile while also supporting the borough’s revitalization efforts.
County Democratic Chairman Marcel L. Groen was quoted at the time of the move as saying, “We believe in the future of Norristown and we did not want to be an organization that turned its back on our county seat and moved away. We think that sends a message of retreat.”
Kerns’s pledge came in a letter he sent out this week to the party’s 800-plus committee people, who will gather May 8 to elect a new leader to replace outgoing GOP Chairman Ken Davis. Davis is stepping down after serving two two-year terms at the helm.
The letter details specific goals and objectives Kerns vows to pursue if elected chairman.
These goals and objectives include: unifying the multi-splintered organization; drafting a party platform that clearly states what the party stands for; aggressively reaching out to non-partisan voters and voters between the ages of 25 and 40; launching a comprehensive and innovative marketing campaign to promote the county organization and its accomplishments; and, improving the party’s fundraising.
Pottstown GOP Area Leader Jim Vlahos is battling Kerns for the top job in the county GOP.
Margaret Gibbons can be reached at mgibbons@timesherald.com or 610-272-2501 ext. 216.
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Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Remember When You Were A Kid...
...and dreamed of being in the big leagues?
Improv Everywhere showed up at a little league game in Hermosa Beach and helped all of the kids live the dream, at least for one day.
This is a great video!
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Bush awards Medal of Honor to Navy SEAL
It's always nice to read about our heroes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush has awarded the nation's highest military tribute to a Navy SEAL who was killed when he threw himself on a grenade in Iraq to save his comrades.
The president, blinking back tears, recognized the bravery of Michael A. Monsoor, who was part of a sniper team in Ramadi when he died on Sept. 29, 2006.
Bush presented the medal to Monsoor's parent, Sally and George Monsoor, before about 250 guests, including some of his fellow soldiers, in an East Room ceremony.
The emotional ceremony came as the top U.S. general and diplomat in Iraq opened two days of congressional testimony on the status of the war, now in its sixth year. Monsoor was the third Medal of Honor winner from the Iraq war.
Click here to read the entire story.
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Let's Rehash, Kenneth
The chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee pretty much doesn't care what you or I think.
First, if you haven't seen them, the green ballots are out there for approval.
Kenneth has placed himself on the green ballot as a write-in for Delegate to the Republican National Convention, essentially shutting out two Montgomery County committeewomen who circulated petitions and got them in on time.
From pawatercooler.com:
Perhaps the final move of Ken Davis’ tenure as GOP County Committee chairman is get himself on the ballot as a Delegate to the Republican National Convention from the Sixth Congressional District. In a pattern similar to his four years in office, there was some, for lack of a better term, “cock-up” with his petition paperwork*, and he did not make the ballot.
So he is mounting a write-in campaign, with his name being printed on the official “green sheet” ballots that committee people hand out at the polls.
Local committees are still mulling his placement, as the copies are being sent to the printers shortly. One committee person is printing their own ballots sans chairman.
* note: Recall that by Gov Rendell’s order there were three additional days to get petitions signed and delivered.
_________________________________________
Disgraceful. Once again, Ken Davis does whatever he can to steal an election.If that isn't bad enough, Kenneth isn't concerned about the registration loss (most of which happened over the first three years of his tenure) at all. In the Morning Call:
Ken Davis, Montgomery County Republican chairman, said the numbers don't concern him. Unlike the primary, when voters cannot cast ballots outside their party, fall voters are free to vote for anyone. He likes Republican John McCain's chances against Obama or Hillary Clinton.
''Even if people don't come back, they are still free to pick who they want in November,'' Davis said. ''This is an electorate that is used to ticket splitting. I think more people will make up their mind when one of the Democrats is the candidate.''
_________________________________________
Not worried? ...The numbers don't concern him?Lets do the math, shall we?
75,000+ registration gap loss over 4 years = 18,750 net registration lost per year.
18,750 loss (average) over 12 months = 1562.20 net loss per month, or about 1.75 persons lost per day to the democrats over the last four years,
Factor in that we’re (MCRC) broke, I can’t see how Ken could possibly “look back with pride to many accomplishments, both large and small”, that he declares in his letter of March 7th of this year.
If not for all of the political infighting caused by Ken Davis and his supporters, we may not be suffering the losses we have this past four years (Nero fiddled while Rome burned comes to mind). Ken has been the most uninspiring leader I have ever had the displeasure of serving under.
Ken Davis goes on to say in his March 7th letter that he may come back in the future…I say don’t do us any favors, Kenneth.
I can't wait until May 8th. Read Full Text/Comments
Monday, April 7, 2008
James Rex Shunned Again!
Substantiated by an eyewitness:
It seems that King James, once again, was on his "Reconciliation Tour", stopping for a brief moment in Upper Moreland yesterday, apparently looking for a friend.
Not being invited, King James just showed up, as is his M.O. these days.
Upon getting his food platter, he walked around the entire room, unable to find a chair. He proceeded to take the Mistress of Ceremonies chair when she got up to start the program. How uncomfortable those at the table must have felt!
Anyway, James Rex, after not being introduced during the program, got up and left (I believe that , this time, he stayed for Tom Manion's speech, contrary to what he did at ATRO Friday evening). On his way out, he was luck enough to pass one of the more outspoken committeepersons in the area.
_______________________
******UPDATE******
It seems as though I may have (shudder) misspoke...there is an update to the last paragraph (tip to "Not Ken Davis" for commenting and setting me straight!):
His Highness tried to kiss her on the cheek, to which she said "Kiss me on the cheek, like Judas"...and "when are you coming to your senses?"
"Jim was introduced. He was the first "county official" mentioned in the introductions and he got polite applause. He left early because the program had Castor speaking third. He left after the first speech because he's embarrassed to be exposed for the fraud he is by Castor, so he leaves."_______________________
He proceeded to turn beet red, point his finger in her face, and shout something along the lines of "35 years in this county...35 years!", essentially making an a** of himself in the lobby-with people from three events witnessing his tirade.
Well, that's the gist of it, dear readers.
Oh, it's getting good, my friends. How long until he completely loses it?
It must be tough on his old, Dewar's soaked mind, and all because of this insane grudge of his...I'm reminded of a quote by Norman Vincent Peale:
“Resentment or grudges do no harm to the person against whom you hold these feelings but every day and every night of your life, they are eating at you”It must suck to be you, Jimbo. See you at the meltdown!
B. Read Full Text/Comments
Charlton Heston Dies
"...from my cold, dead hands." Charlton Heston, 1997 NRA Nat'l Convention
Growing up, no movie star has ever had more popularity in my home than Charlton Heston. Mom only had to mention "her boyfriend" and we all knew who she was talking about.
Charlton Heston was a man's man. he was an actor that could go from tought to tender and back to tough in an instant, and you believed him.
He's the only man, other than my father, that my mother ever loved.
He championed many causes, including marching in Washington D.C. for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther king, Jr., but his legacy was still yet to come.
Charlton Heston was President of the NRA from 1998 until 2002, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
On the subject of his Alzheimer's, Heston, who fended off prostate cancer three years before, insists he was "neither giving up nor giving in...For now, I'm not changing anything. I'll insist on work when I can; the doctors will insist on rest when I must. If you see a little less spring in my step, if your name fails to leap to my lips, you'll know why. And if I tell you a funny story for the second time, please laugh anyway.
"I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure. Please feel no sympathy for me. I don't. I just may be a little less accessible to you, despite my wishes.
"I also want you to know that I'm grateful beyond measure. My life has been blessed with good fortune."
On the web:
Movie Giant Charlton Heston Dies
Charlton Heston
Joal Ryan, eonline
April 5, 2008
Charlton Heston did not do small.
Heston, the Oscar-winning actor who, as the biggest male star of Hollywood's outsize epic era of the 1950s and 1960s, parted the Red Sea, raced chariots and battled gorilla tyranny, died Saturday at his Beverly Hills home.
He was 84, his family said. He had been battling Alzheimer's disease for years.
In a statement, Heston's family acknowledged that their patriarch was viewed as larger than life and maintained that, offscreen, he was no less imposing.
"We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor," the statement said. "He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity. He loved deeply, and he was deeply loved." (click here for the rest of the article)
Lastly, click here to see a slides how of Charlton Heston pics on Yahoo.
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