Friday, October 31, 2014

Gov. Corbett to visit Carbon County

I’m so excited.  The governor who sucked up to the gas drillers, the man who brought us vaginal probes, the guy who sat on his hands during the Sandusky scandal, the governor who didn’t expand Medicaid, dooming thousands of Pennsylvanians, the governor who cut public education and supported charter and cyber schools, the man whose budgets slashed extension services and Pennsylvania colleges, will be right here in Carbon County.

What a guy.  I assume he will be supporting his faithful lap dog, Rep. Doyle Heffley who voted with Corbett over 98% of the time.


I’ll be there to welcome this wonderful governor.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

James Inhofe

Many times I’ve heard the cliche “people get the government they deserve.”  

Next year, after the Republicans win the U.S. Senate, James Inhofe, the author of the “The Greatest Hoax:  How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future,” will be the chair of the Environmental Committee.


I do not deserve that.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Voter Fraud in Texas

Did you know that if you have a gun permit in Texas, that counts as a proper ID to vote?  However, if you have a university student ID, that is not considered a proper ID to vote.


Republicans in Texas call that an effort to prevent voter fraud.  I never owned a ranch in Texas, but I know bullshit when I see it.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Don't touch dogs

Religious prohibitions are often strange, at least to me.  For example, Amish don’t like buttons because they were considered fancy when that religion was founded.  Today, of course, hooks and eyes are weird and buttons are the norm, but the old prohibition stands.

Jews don’t eat pork; at one time this made sense given trichinosis problems, but we now know that proper meat preparation can eliminate that threat.  There are still good reasons not to eat pork (gestation pens, energy consumption), but a 4000+ year-old prohibition seems rather lame.

Now I learn that Muslims in Malysia aren’t supposed to pet dogs.  After hundreds of people showed up in an event in Malaysia entitled “I Want To Touch a Dog,” the organizer, Mr. Syed Azmi Alhabshi, may be in big trouble with the Malaysia’s Muslim leaders.  He has received a number of messages on his phone threatening physical harm.  Malaysian Muslim leaders consider dogs unclean.  

His problems began when pictures appeared on the Internet showing Muslim women in head scarves hugging dogs.  


The information on dog-hugging is from an article in the Oct. 27 issue of the Times by Thomas Fuller.  The article did not say anything about Hindus and cows or Catholics and gays.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Jeb Bush, Ebola, and other bad news

People sometimes say they don’t read the paper because all they get is bad news they’d rather not know.  The front page of today’s Times is a perfect illustration.  Five headlines:

“The Bushes, Led by W., Rally to Make Jeb “45.”  Jeb Bush is making a run for the Presidency in 2016.  George, George W., and now Jeb.

“Missiles of ISIS May Pose Peril For Aircrews.”  An ISIS missile already blew an Iraqi army helicopter out of the sky.

“Under Pressure, Cuomo Says Ebola Quarantines Can Be Spent at Home.”  In New Jersey a nurse who returned from Sierra Leone where she had been treating Ebola patients has been put in a plastic tent.  She has a toilet, but no shower. 

“In Cold War, U.S. Spy Agencies Used 1,000 Nazis.”  J. Edgar Hoover and Allan Dulles of the C.I.A. thought Nazi war criminals ought to be used to spy on the Russians in spite of their “moral lapses.”

Finally, “ Is the Affordable Care Act Working?”  This was a teaser for a two-page analysis, which pointed out that five to six percent of Americans are now covered by health insurance.  Democrats are about to lose the Senate in part because of an act that provided medical insurance for about five percent of Americans.  


I’m not even reading the rest of the paper.  I can’t stand it.  Anyway, Monday Night Football is on.  

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Jim Thorpe Halloween Parade

I’ve marched with the Democrats in three Halloween parades.  In the first, the Lehighton parade, we kept seeing Doyle Heffley stickers on little kids and some adults.  It was psychologically depressing, although we knew kids can’t vote.

In the Palmerton Halloween parade, the day after the Lehighton parade, we had our own Patti Borger stickers, which we stuck over the Doyle Heffley stickers.  People loved it.  Evidently the Heffley people stick the stickers on without asking.  We would say, “Here, put a nice sticker over that ugly one,” and we received an overwhelming response.  Unfortunately, we ran out of Patti Borger stickers before the end of the parade.

Today, at the Jim Thorpe parade, the Heffley people were once again in front of the Democrats, as they seem to be in every Halloween parade.  This time we were ready.  The Heffley people gave out balloons.  On each one we pasted a Patti Borger sticker.  People laughed, applauded, and were appreciative.  


From the reactions we got, I can tell you that Doyle Heffley is not a popular guy.  I can also tell you that being ahead of the Democrats in a Halloween parade is no longer an advantage.  I wish there were more parades.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Preserved Farmland in Pennsylvania

According to an article in Lancaster Farming, Pennsylvania is the first state to preserve a half-million acres of farmland.  While I have some criticisms of the program (the number of acres was raised to 50 unless the farm adjoins already preserved farmland, and not enough money has been allocated), it is still impressive that the state reached the half-million mark.


I am very proud that 23 of those acres are from our farm.  

Friday, October 24, 2014

Blue Mountain Ski Resort gets state loan

I find coincidences amazing.  

Yesterday the Times News ran a front page article in which Doyle Heffley announced the Blue Mountain Ski Resort has received a $1.5 million dollar loan.  The owner of the Blue Mountain Ski Resort is also a big supporter of Heffley and has contributed money to Doyle’s campaigns.  The loan (which is taxpayer money) was announced less than two weeks before the fall election.


Amazing.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Jim Thorpe

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Jim Thorpe’s remains, currently in a tomb in the town of Jim Thorpe, can remain where they are.

Previously a U.S. District Court had ruled that the remains had to be sent back to Oklahoma under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.  This law, passed in 1990, said that the remains of Indians had to be returned to their tribal areas.  Museums had been treating Indian remains as artifacts., and the law’s purpose was to end that rather creepy treatment of Indian bones.

The Court of Appeals ruled that the town of Jim Thorpe was not a museum, and that Thorpe family members approved of the town’s actions.  This was less a dispute about repatriating remains than it was about an intra-family dispute.


I personally am pleased with the decision.  I think the town has done a good job of treating Jim Thorpe’s legacy with honor and respect.  When we have out-of-town visitors, we always stop by the tomb, and our visitors read the story of Thorpe’s life.  Every visitor I’ve have seen is quiet and respectful.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Doyle Heffley: One of us?

I’m not exactly George Clooney, but I do star in a movie that is currently showing on YouTube.  The whole movie is less than three minutes, but it takes Rep. Heffley’s campaign slogan, “He’s one of us,” and puts a slightly different spin on it.

If you want to see it, go to YouTube and type in “Doyle Heffley:  One of Us.”  Click on the black and white thumbnail.  In the film, I’m the bald guy.


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument

The Antiquities Act allows a President to permanently set aside public lands from exploitation, without the consent of Congress.  The President who used it the most was Theodore Roosevelt, but George Bush used it to create an 87,000 square mile Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.  

Earlier this month President Obama enlarged the area to 490,939 square miles.  This probably won’t benefit most of us directly, although it will benefit bottle nose dolphins, humpback whales, sharks, rays, and green and hawksbill turtles, among many other species.  


I’m not sure what Obama’s legacy will be, but I have a feeling that this will be seen as one of his more important actions.  Thank you, Mr. President.

Monday, October 20, 2014

The Free Speech Movement

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement.  The whole thing began when thousands of U.C. Berkeley students blocked a police car and used the roof of the car as a platform to make speeches.  

Jack Weinberg was in the back seat of the car.  He had been arrested for staffing a table that gave out information on the civil rights movement.  I repeat—he had been arrested for staffing a table that gave out information on the civil rights movement.

Life was different then.  The students who climbed on the car to speak removed their shoes to avoid scratching the paint.  

Ronald Reagin, a candidate for governor, said the Berkeley campus had become a “rallying point for Communists.”  When asked if he was inspired by Communism, Weinberg stated, “We have a saying in the movement that we don’t trust anyone over 30.”

Weinberg is now 74.  

Fifty years ago I was a grad student at Penn State.  I was deeply impressed with the Free Speech Movement, and I continue to be impressed.  The advice not to trust anyone over 30 remains valid.


The quotes and much of the information came from an article in the Times by Carol Pogash.  The opinions are all mine.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

The Texas Voter ID Law

The judicial branch of the Republican Party, also known as the U.S. Supreme Court, refused to stay the Voter ID law in Texas.  This law will keep up to 600,000 Texans, mostly blacks and Latinos (and Democrats) from voting.


This brings to mind a quote from Texas governor Governor Rick Perry, who said the following at a Koch brothers-sponsored political event in New Hampshire:  “Look at the states,which are lavatories of innovation and democracy.”

Friday, October 17, 2014

"Fury"

I walked out of the Brad Pitt movie tonight.  I had read a review that said it was bloody and violent, but I thought, of course, it’s a war movie.  What I was not anticipating was having my face rubbed into the violence.  

I know tanks ran over people.  They ran over students in Tiananman Square.  My issue is that I don’t enjoy watching it, and I don’t need to watch it to know it is horrible.  I already am aware of that.


I’ll also give the director some advice.  Most members of the audience need a character with whom to identify.  After about 40 minutes, I never found one.  

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Gamers and the N.R.A.

A leading critic of the stereotyping of women in video games, Anita Sarkeesian, has been receiving death threats, bomb threats, and rape threats for months.  

According to an article by Nick Wingfield in today’s Times, Ms. Sarkeesian was scheduled to speak at Utah State University.  The speech was cancelled when the university received an email warning that a shooting massacre would occur if she spoke.  The email said, “This will be the deadliest school shooting in American history, and I’m giving you a chance to stop it.”

The University cancelled the speech, because under Utah law, CAMPUS POLICE COULD NOT PREVENT PEOPLE WITH WEAPONS FROM ENTERING THE HALL WHERE SHE WOULD SPEAK.

There you have it, folks.  This is the America brought by the National Rifle Association.  A college campus can’t keep guns out of a public presentation.  What kind of chickenshit legislators would adopt such a law?  Why wouldn’t common sense prevail over N.R.A. bullying and threats?


And why would “gamers” threaten a woman who is exercising her American free speech rights?  The threats, of course, are anonymous, probably from adolescent boys who jerk off to fantasies of sexual violence.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Climate Experts of the Lehigh Valley

Over the past six months the Morning Call has printed letters from at least a half dozen people who warn of a coming ice age, who note that global warming is a natural occurrence, who are sure that the whole global warming thing is a liberal hoax, or who cite scripture to disprove global warming.


Who knew that so many experts on climatology live right here among us.  

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Norway sets an example

Mostly what happened at the recent U.N. Climate Summit was speech-making.  In fact, all that hot air may have made the situation worse.  Except for Norway.  Norway announced that it had reached agreement with Liberia to provide that country with $150 million in aid; in return Liberia will work to stop the destruction of its jungles.

The financial page of the New Yorker explained this as the “Coase Theorem.”  In 1960 an economist named Ronald Coase said that bargaining between parties could produce a solution to problems like pollution that was of mutual benefit.

This is called “payment for ecosystem services.”  Norway benefits by reducing global warming; Liberia receives much needed aid.  Norway did something similar with Brazil some years ago.


I don’t see why the Coase Theorem applies only to ecosystem services.  For example, if the U.S. gave aid to Liberia to combat Ebola, Liberia would benefit, but so would the U.S. in an age when air travel can spread disease rapidly across the globe. 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Voter ID laws and Doyle Heffley

Texas recently passed an incredibly restrictive voter ID law to “eliminate fraud” at the polls.  In one ten year period in Texas, 20 million votes were cast.  There were two convictions for in-person voter fraud in that 10 year period.

Evidence is now in that restrictive ID requirements do reduce voter turnout by 2-3%.  Do you know how many races are decided by that margin?
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The ID laws affect the poor and the elderly.  In other words, Democrats.  This kind of manipulation is common in Third World countries with dictatorial governments.  Now it’s is happening right here.  The Supreme Court, an arm of the Republican Party, is approving these laws.  


By the way, my own Representative, Doyle Heffley, has argued for restrictive ID laws.  Evidently the gerrymandering, the support of the fracking industry, and the Times News puff pieces aren’t enough.  Now he wants to game the electoral system.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Breakfast at the New Columbus Fire House

This morning I attended a breakfast fundraiser sponsored by the Carbon County Democratic Party at the New Columbus Fire House.  The food was excellent—ham, chipped beef, bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes—a hearty breakfast.  The hall was filled, and the diners heard speeches by Sen. John Yudichak and Patti Borger, running for the 122nd House seat.

We were warned that because Wolf is so far ahead of Corbett, Democratic voters may get over-confident and stay home, figuring they really don’t need to vote this time around.  There was determination in the room not to let that happen.

This morning I also learned how angry some voters are about Corbett’s treatment of Joe Paterno.  I know that as a Penn State grad I was angry, but I didn’t realize how much that issue resonated.  

I thought the big issues were corporate tax cuts, slashing the education budget, refusing an extraction tax on Marcellus shale drillers, and the inability to pass a property tax reform even though Republicans have controlled both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office for the past four years.


There are so many reasons why Corbett has got to go.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Doyle Heffley and the Sierra Club

I’m torn.  

Earlier this week I received a slick mailer that said Doyle Heffley was an environmentalist.  The mailer said he voted for AB 13, the bill that put a gag order on doctors, forbidding them to discuss illnesses related to fracking.  AB13 also limited liability of fracking companies for environmental damage.

The mailer noted that Heffley had voted to protect endangered species, referring to a bill that allowed the legislature to override the Game Commission scientists on determining endangered status.

Finally, the mailer said Heffley wanted to allow fish hatcheries to provide jobs, although those hatcheries might endanger quality trout streams.
Today I received a postcard from the Sierra Club endorsing Patti Borger.  I’ve been a member of the Sierra Club for many years.  It was founded by one of America’s foremost environmentalists, John Muir, and it is considered the premier environmentalist organizations.


What should I believe?  A mailer from the state Republican party saying Heffley is an “environmentalist,” or the one from the Sierra Club.?  I’ll be up all night trying to decide.

Friday, October 10, 2014

The Party of Fear

The Republican candidates are doing what Republicans do best—trying to panic American voters.  Ebola!  Illegal aliens!  ISIS!  ISIS aliens who have the Ebola virus crossing the border!

I don’t know if this crap works or not, but I do know that since the economy is improving and the Affordable Care Act is working and Social Security is solvent, Republicans don’t have much to work with other than frightening people.

This is not a new tactic.  The Democrats are the party of hope; the Republicans are the party of fear.  November will tell us which one wins.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Tomatoes in October

Jared Diamond in his book Collapse notes that long-term trends are difficult to recognize.  For example, you might have two years of below average temperature, followed by two years of above average temperature, followed by a year where the temperature is about average.  You need to look at the trend over decades, and the trend will then become apparent.

We had a cool summer this year.  A number of letters to the Morning Call noted this and made fun of the idea of global warming.  These were people who were confusing “weather” with “climate.”  They were looking at one year rather than the trend.

So here is a message from an old guy.  In the Fifties and Sixties, we had killing frosts in September.  Now, 50 years later, I am still picking tomatoes in the second week in October.  That is not weather, that is climate, and it is getting warmer.  

You can argue that humans are not causing global warming, but you can’t argue that a global warming trend is not occurring.

I take that back.  You can argue that a global warming trend is not occurring if you are:
     A.  stupid.
     B.  a Republican who hopes to run for President in 2016.

     C.  a paid lobbyist for the oil, natural gas, and coal companies, or a shill for the Koch brothers.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

I'm not a scientist

In a recent op-ed piece Gail Collins pointed out that quite a few Republicans, including Rick Scott of Florida and Jeb Bush and Mitch McConnell, when asked about climate change, reply, ”I’m not a scientist” as though that excuses them from commenting or making a judgment.

I’m not a historian, but I am pretty sure that Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo.  I’m not an astronomer, but I’m pretty sure that Jupiter is larger than the Earth.  I’m not a paleontologist, but I’m pretty sure that trilobites are extinct.  I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure that the Ebola virus is potentially lethal.


I’m also not an idiot.  Unfortunately, Rick Scott, Jeb Bush, and Mitch McConnell seem to be.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Shrinking Newsroom

Recently the New York Times announced it was eliminating 100 newsroom jobs.  I suppose as a stockholder I should be happy; company stocks rose on the news.  

Spokesmen for the paper said, “The job losses are necessary to control our costs and to allow us to continue to invest in the digital future of The New York Times….”


Really.  The digital future.  The last year I taught at East Stroudsburg University, students told me they no read an actual paper, they got their news from the digital edition.  Unfortunately, they didn’t know a damn thing about what was happening in the world.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Cutting back on beef

One issue in the current presidential race in Brazil is the increase in the rate of forest clearing in that country.  A major reason for jungle clearance is to provide pastureland for beef cattle.  

Here’s another fact that troubles me.  The F.D.A. has found that antibiotics in animal feed grew by 16% between 2009 and 2012, even though we know that antibiotic resistance in humans is increasing.

The pork chops we buy from our local butcher (Haydt’s Meat Market) are from antibiotic-free and gestation-cage-free pigs.  I haven’t eaten a steak in years.  Nonetheless, I have decided to cut back considerably on my meat consumption. I won’t be all fanatic about it; if I’m a guest and the host serves a meat dish, I’ll be polite and eat it, but I will not be having any more quarter pounders at McDonalds.


I suppose I’ll have to do some research on where to get my protein.  I think peanut butter may substitute.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Democracy in Afghanistan

I’m not sure we can call Afghanistan a democracy when the two major parties contested less than 60 percent of the legislative seats.  One party, the Republican, did not nominate anyone for 20.4% of the state legislative races; the other party did not nominate anyone in 22.9% of those races.  That means that in 43.3% of the legislative races there was no contest between the two major parties. 

Oh, wait, I’m sorry, I made a big mistake.  

That wasn’t in Afghanistan, that is in the U.S.  Only 56.7% of the state legislative seats up for election this year are contested.  In our own area in Schuylkill County we have a pinhead named Jerry Knowles running uncontested.  

I’m not sure what you call that system, but I’m pretty sure you can’t call it a democracy.


If you are wondering where I got those statistics, they are from the Oct. issue of the Ballot Access News, one of the most accurate sources of political news I know.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Schuylkill beats Carbon

According to an article by Chris Parker in today’s Times News, Schuylkill County has beaten Carbon County in the obesity race.  It seems that Schuylkill County is the eighth fattest county in Pennsylvania, while Carbon only ranks 24th.  About 33% of Schuylkill residents are obese, while in Carbon only 32% are obese.

How did we Carbon residents allow this to happen?  Where is our pride?  We drink beer.  We eat Big Macs.  We sit on our couches watching “Ridiculousness” and Nascar races.  Nonetheless, we have allowed Schuylkill residents to jump ahead.  We must do more.


I’m doing my part.  This morning I ate scrapple and eggs.  For lunch I had three pieces of pizza with extra cheese.  Tonight I had three pirogies drenched in butter.  Before I go to bed I’ll have at least three bottles of beer.  People of Carbon, we cannot let the Skooks defeat us.  Eat up.  Drink up.  And whatever you do, do not exercise.  We can do this.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Privatizing Social Security

Republican Joni Ernst, who is running for the Senate from Iowa, promises to protect Social Security for everyone over the age of 55.

Lou Barletta did the same thing two years ago in a rather famous confrontation with Linda Christman, who pointed out that people under 55 also deserved Social Security. 

You would think that after the most recent recession, Republicans would abandon the idea of privatizing Social Security, but you have to say this—they never give up a bad idea.

If we do nothing, the Social Security system is solvent until 2033.  To make it solvent after that, we can tweak it, either by raising the retirement age or by getting rid of the cap.  Currently income above $117,000 is exempt from the payroll tax.

What people like Barletta and Ernst are hoping is that older Americans have the attitude that can be summed up as, “I’ve got mine Jack, screw you.”  I hope they are wrong.


Columnist Gail Collins suggests that one way to combat this Republican idea is that people in the room who are 54 should break into loud sobs.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Questions for the pipeline company

Tonight a representative from the company proposing to build a natural gas pipeline across eastern Pennsylvania was supposed to be at the Towamensing Township Supervisors’ meeting to answer questions from concerned residents.  Late yesterday we received an email that the representative would not be attending the meeting.  This is the second time the company has cancelled.  Supposedly a meeting in Palmerton next month will answer all our questions.

My thought is that the pipeline company is hoping that with enough cancellations people will give up.  It is also easier for residents to attend their own township meeting than to go to one in Palmerton., so the number of angry people will be reduced.  The pipeline is not going through Palmerton.

Since there was no meeting tonight, I will share the questions I was planning to ask.  I had them all printed out on a two-page statement I was prepared to distribute. 

1.  Is the landowner responsible for keeping the right-of-way above the pipeline clear of trees and vegetation, or does the company do that?

2.  What is the circumference of the pipeline?

3.  Will the gas in the pipeline be refined?  Is it true that unrefined gas, straight from the wellhead, is more likely to explode?

4.  Who maintains liability if the pipeline explodes?

5.  Can UGI transfer responsibility or sell the pipeline to another company?  What happens if the company goes bankrupt?  If either of those contingencies occur, of what value are the company’s assurances?


6.  Will our homeowner’s insurance increase as a result of the pipeline?

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The most popular name for boys in Israel

It’s Muhammad.  I am not making this up.  

Last year 1,986 baby boys were named Muhammad.  Twenty-one percent of Israelis are Arabs.  Six percent of the civil service jobs are filled by Arabs.  1.2% of the tenure track positions in Israeli universities are filled by Arabs.


F.Y.I:  That info came from an article by Jodi Rudoren in yesterday’s Times.