Denny Wolff in Schuylkill County

The Democratic Candidate for the 9th District, Denny Wolff, spoke today at a Schuylkill County farm.  The host, a dairy farmer like Mr. Wolff, was a Republican but wanted to hear what Mr. Wolff had to say.  

There were about 45 people in attendance, mostly rural types, probably a good portion of whom voted for Trump.  I would predict that every one of them left the gathering determined to vote for Wolff in November.  The man is impressive.  He knew the details of farm policies, knew the problems farmers faced, and had suggestions and ideas on how to solve many of those problems.  

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the candidates who knew the most and were the most qualified won the elections?  Wolff’s opponent, a guy who just moved into the district and hopes to buy himself a congressional seat, has millions of dollars to spend.  This year, however, that may not be enough.  It may be a Republican district, but hopefully it is a district full of people who understand the difference between a qualified candidate like Wolff and a self-aggrandizing uninformed Wall Street elitist like Meuser.

Afraid to register voters

Last week I visited four personal care homes to deliver registration forms and absentee ballot request forms.  I spoke to friendly and cooperative activity directors, managers, and social workers and explained how to fill out the forms.  I was there on behalf of the Lehighton Democratic Club, but I did not ask whether the residents were Republican, Democratic, or Independent.  We register anyone who wants to register.

On Friday I went with my friend Sue to the Palmerton, formerly the Village, on Princeton Avenue.  We signed up five people for absentee ballots.  I have no idea with what party those five are registered.

Last week I sat in front of Mallard Market in Lehighton to register voters.  I only registered one, but again, I register anyone who wants to register.  The manager of Mallard Market welcomed me and all of the customers were friendly and pleasant.

Now I discover that two stores in Palmerton on Delaware Avenue where we did non-partisan registrations in the past will no longer allow us to register voters on their property.  “It’s too political,” one said.  “We might alienate some of our customers.”  “We don’t want to be political.”

Registering American citizens to vote is too political? 

We don't need no stinkin' science

The E.P.A.’s science advisor tries to ensure that the highest-quality science is integrated intro the E.P.A.’s policies and decisions.  At least that was on the E.P.A.’s website.  Now the agency plans to dissolve the Office of Scientific Advisor.  

The E.P.A. also placed the head of the Office of Children’s Health, Dr. Ruth Etzel, on administrative leave.  No reason was given.  Dr. Etzel, a pediatric epidemiologist, had clashed with the Trump administration and its attempts to loosen pollution rules.

For the full story, see Coral Davenport, “E.P.A. to Eliminate Office That Gives Scientific Input, New York Times, Sept. 28, 1018, p. A13.  

And no, I didn’t watch the hearings.  I am too tired of Trump and his “grab them by the pussy” minions to deal with it.

Indigenous Peoples' Day

Columbus Day never struck me as a great holiday except that I got out of school.  I was pleased when towns in California changed the holiday into “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”

Tonight when I went to Key Bank in Kresgeville to use the ATM machine, there was a note on the door that the bank would be closed for Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  I thought that was pretty cool.  The Lenapes would approve.

Fascism defined

Lately the word “fascism” gets bandied about quite often.  If you want it defined, read Trump’s U.N. speech where he talks about immigration and patriotism.  That’s about as good a definition as you will get.

The partisan Supreme Court

I don’t know anyone who respects and reveres the Supreme Court.  At one time people who did not like Congress or the President still held the Court in awe.  Even if we didn’t agree with its decisions, it was the deliberative branch.  Judges who were Democratic or Republican when they were appointed lost that partisan edge and often worked toward consensus.

About 20 years ago, with the advent of Scalia and Thomas, that all changed.  The Court is just another partisan branch of government.  The decision on the 2000 election was made on party lines, and it has gotten worse since then.

Even if the revelations about Judge Kavanaugh had never come to light, he still should not have been approved.  We know how he will vote on the Court.  If you give me a case, I can tell you.  If there is a legal question that affects Trump, I can tell you how he will vote.  He will not be deliberative;  he will not be a defender of the Constitution.  He will advance his ideology.  

A majority of the Senate is poised to enable him to do that.  These Senators have no integrity, no love for this country.  What they have is loyalty to their funders and their ideology, and the Constitution be damned.  

Trump keeps a promise

He promised to drain the swamp, and we should give him credit for at least working on it. 

He’s gotten rid of campaign chair Paul Manafort.  The EPA administrator Scott Pruitt is gone.  Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price is out.  Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, director of the Center for Disease Control, is no longer in office.  Deputy Campaign Chair Rich Gates, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, Advisor George Papadopoulos–all gone.  

There’s more.  White House Aide Rob Porter, out.  Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke, out.  And Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor, out.  

Jeff Sessions is in the pipeline. 

Jesus welcomes the children

The Big Creek UCC Call to Worship today included the following:

Pastor:  Then Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and taking the child in his arms, he said to them:

Congregation:  Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  Ands whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.

Pastor:  We are still learning today what Jesus came to teach us two thousand years ago.  To change the world we must change the way we love and welcome all children!

Congregation:  May we learn to love all children as if they were our own!

I love the sentiments, but it isn’t enough.  

An editorial in today’s Times pointed out that juveniles who come seeking asylum are often put into “youth migrant shelters” (jails for kids.)  When they turn 18, they are sent to “adult detention,” usually a county jail.  These kids have not committed crimes.  It is not against the law to ask for asylum.  In 2017 roughly 1000 youths who turned 18 were transferred to jails.  

I will try to find out how to become a sponsor, but that may not help.  Health and Human Services is planning to add more capacity for detained children, including a tent city in Tornillo, Texas, that will grow from 400 beds to 3,800.  

And please, please, don’t give me that “What part of illegal don’t you understand” crap.  I have had it with that. 

My Goal in Life

Today I sat in front of Mallard Market for two hours to register voters.  Score:  One Democrat, 0 Independents, 0 Greens, 0 Republicans.

It occurred to me that if I register one Democrat each day, and if I live for another year, I can overcome that Republican lead in Carbon County I mentioned yesterday.  It is my new purpose in life.

Sorry about yesterday.  I was really in a bad mood.  I got today’s Times and all is right with the world.  Plus it was a perfect fall day.  How appropriate.

Carbon County: Cultural Desert

Today the Lehighton Times News pointed out that the Republicans have moved past the Democrats in registered voters in Carbon County.  This was not true of neighboring Monroe, Lehigh, and Northampton counties, all of which increased their Democratic margins.

What is wrong with Carbon?  What happened here?

I buy my New York Times every day at Sunny’s gas station and convenience store on 209 in Monroe County.  Over the years I have developed a number of friendships with the staff, who are informed and full of good cheer.  Today, for unknown reasons, the distributor did not deliver any New York Times.  Fridays are important to me–the weekend arts section and the movie reviews are in the Friday paper, along with the second most difficult crossword puzzle of the week.

So, I went on a quest.  Palmerton, no Times.  Lehighton, no Times.  Jim Thorpe, no Times.  I didn’t drive to Lansford or Summit Hill or Nesquehoning, but I’ll give you really good odds that I wouldn’t find it there either.  This is a county of about 60,000 people.  We are about 90 miles from Manhattan.  

When I lived in Fairfax, California, I subscribed to the Times.  It was on our doorstep at 4 a.m.  Here, nada.  What kind of a cultural wasteland is this?  

Am I a snob?  An esthete?  Yeah, maybe, but please don’t ask, Why don’t you go back to California?  My answer to you is:  Why don’t you move over to Schuylkill County?

I think if Linda were here, she’d tell me not to post this, but she is in Ireland.  Probably reading the New York Times.

By the way, this is not to knock the Times News, which is excellent on local news, or the Morning Call, which does a reasonable job on regional developments.  I read them both.  I just want my Times as well.

Adventures in canvassing

#1:  Sandra and I were canvassing for Kara Scott and Denny Wolff in Palmerton West this afternoon.  We met a young woman who said she was not voting.  When we asked why, she said she had been a Bernie supporter, but then he “sold out.”  While I was not a Bernie supporter,  I had to question that.  I said, “Is that something you heard on the internet?”  She said, “No, lots of people are saying that.”

Huh?  Really?  When?  Who is saying that?  What does it even mean?  And why would you quit voting?

#2:  About an hour later I was canvassing with Debbie, also in Palmerton West, and we met another guy who said he never voted.  I said, “Hey, you might be interested in HR 45.  It’s a bill to stop elections and appoint every official in Pennsylvania from the governor down to the school board.  You might like that bill.”  I thought that would give the guy pause.  Instead he said, “Oh, ok.”

As Debbie said, “Maybe it is better that some people don’t vote.”

Jerry Knowles and Will Tallman–It's a Tie

In the contest to see who could introduce the dumbest piece of legislation into the Pennsylvania legislature, judges today pronounced a tie between House member Will Tallman (R, Adams Co.). and House member Jerry Knowles (R, Schuylkill Co. and a portion of Carbon.)

Tallman’s bill, which he entitled “Teacher Code of Ethics,” would forbid high school teachers from discussing enacted or pending legislation, regulations, executive orders, or court cases involving any branches of government, nor could they discuss any activities that “hamper or impede” law enforcement actions or military recruiters on campus.  The bill would include all social studies teachers.  

Knowles’ bill would kill all state funding for Philadelphia if the city implements its plan to set up places where addicts could get shots with clean needles.  Last year an estimated 1200 people died in Philadelphia from drug overdoses.  Knowles also criticized Philadelphia for being a “sanctuary city.”

Tallman is retiring this year.  Knowles, who is also in the running for “least intelligent Pennsylvania House member,” has no opponent in the November election, a sad commentary on American democracy.

Where the tax cut went

It appears that most CEOs think their main, perhaps only, responsibility is to the stockholders and management.  That big Republican tax cut, in addition to ballooning the deficit, has resulted in companies putting over $400 billion into stock buybacks.

That raises stock prices and dividends but does almost nothing for workers.  Annie Lowrey in TheAtlantic.com reported that if Home Depot and CVS had earmarked the money for staff raises rather than stock buybacks, every employee would have gotten $18,000 more a year. McDonald’s could have given a $4000 annual raise to each of its two million employees.

10th Anniversary

On Sunday the New York Times contained a section devoted to the 10th anniversary of the Lehman Brothers meltdown and the ensuing financial crisis.  On the opening page of that section, the paper noted that page 10 had a complete list of the “C.E.O.s of Wall Street Sent to Jail.”  I thought, “Wow, this should be interesting,” and immediately turned to page 10.

Of course, the entire page was blank.  

It was actually pretty funny in a macabre sort of way.

Mean People Suck

That was a popular bumper sticker back in Fairfax, California.  And they do.  And unfortunately, mean people are now running our government.

The U.S. was a major funder of reconciliation efforts and programs set up to ease tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.  The U.S. also funded programs for Palestinians like hospitals on the East Bank.  No more.  We no longer give any aid to Palestinians.

Migrant parents are being denied contact with their children because of legal problems, often minor and sometimes decades old.  We are not talking about child abuse or murder, but rather such crimes as traveling with an open container in 2005.  To read other examples of downright meanness and parental separation see <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/us/migrant-children-ineligible-reunification-families.html>.

Both of these policies are beyond mean spirited.  They are ugly and vicious.  Supposedly the U.S. government is a democracy in which the citizens run the government.  That means both of these policies are carried out in our names.

The New Normal

You may remember reading about the Boston Massacre, when British troops fired on a colonial mob protesting British tax policies. Five Bostonians were killed and the “massacre” became a rallying cry for advocates of independence.

On Friday the New York Times reported on a shooting spree in Bakersfield, California.  A gunman killed five people before turning his gun on himself.  Six dead.  It made page 15.  

Six is no big deal in mass shootings.  You have to do much better than that to make the front page.  I’m guessing at least 25 to 30.  This is America in 2018.

How nasty should I be?

The internet is a vicious place.  People say things in blogs, on Twitter, and on Facebook that they would never say to someone’s face.  I know people who have dropped out of various social media platforms because of the vicious comments.  When my friend Rene set up this blog for me, he advised me not to let anyone comment because of the vitriol I would endure.  

Now I have a question for my readers.  The Allentown Morning Call and the Times News occasionally run letters from people I consider to be idiots.  A recent letter praised Trump for his “style” and said it was part of his DNA.  Another letter from a Towamensing reader in the Times News attacked Sen. Casey in what I considered to be completely nonsensical way.

My question is:   Should I mention these people by name?  Should I go after their idiotic opinions and tell my readers who they are, or is that just adding to the ugliness that has become part of the American political discourse?

Some of you do not have Google accounts, and you can’t comment on the blog.  So I will give you my email address (I do have a delete option).  Send your opinions on what I ought to do to <hiramc@ptd.net>.  I really would appreciate some input on this.

Community Day

In Democracy in America Alexis deTocqueville commented on the tendency of Americans to form voluntary groups to solve their problems.  He said they didn’t depend on authorities to fix things but rather joined together to promote all kinds of causes.  Tocqueville thought this was a building block of American democracy, along with an independent judiciary and a free press.

Tocqueville was writing almost 200 years ago, but his lessons still resonate.  Americans continue to form groups and meet face-to-face to advance their interests or promote their causes.  

On Saturday, from 1-3 p.m., ten local community groups are staffing information booths at the Kibler School at 6495 Pohopoco Drive, Lehighton.  The groups include Valor House, a local center for vets with PTSD.  Other groups that will be attending are the Big Creek Grange, the Palmerton Camera Club, a local 4-H Club, the Palmerton Area Historical Society, the Carbon County Art League, and at least four other organizations.  

If you are in the area, stop by.  Free hotdogs are available along with drinks, snacks, and homemade desserts.  No charge.  Everyone is welcome.

Blackkklansman

No, I didn’t spell that wrong.  It is a Spike Lee film about a black cop and a white cop in Colorado Springs in the 70s who combine to infiltrate the KKK.  It is now playing at the Mahoning Cinema

David Duke, the Grand Wizard of the KKK, is featured in the film, and he is a complete idiot.  He’s still alive, still preaching his racist hatred, and still a complete idiot.

The film is based on real life actions, but it also has film clips from “Birth of a Nation” and it opens with a scene from “Gone With the Wind.”  The footage on the white supremacy march in Charlottesville is chilling, as is the scene with Trump saying there were good people on both sides.

It’s a good, sometimes tense and exciting film.  Two thumbs up.

Why I dislike our president

Letters to the Morning Call from Trump supporters often express frustration with Trump’s opponents.  They don’t understand why we are so angry.  In the interest of promoting understanding between the pro and anti-Trump groups, here are ten reasons I dislike Trump:

The greed:  He and his family members have used the White House for their own monetary gain.  Trump and his family continue to do business with foreign investors eager to capitalize on their connections.  Why won’t Trump release his income tax returns like every other president has done?

The hatred:  We are not born hating people.  That is learned behavior.  We now have a president who has incited hatred against various people and groups as a deliberate political strategy.

The children:  Forcibly separating children from their parents and then failing to keep records of where they were sent is almost beyond belief.

The courts:  Presidents have always appointed judges who reflect their thinking, but this president is deliberately making appointments based solely on ideology without regard to qualifications.  Republican congress members are complicit in this.

The lies:  His lies number in the thousands.

The press:  The president called the press an “enemy of the people.”  His constant use of the term “fake news” denigrates a major institution protecting our democracy.

The phony patriotism:  Here is a man who avoided Vietnam because of “bone spurs” but felt free to insult John McCain for his war record.

The tax giveaway:  Over 90% of the benefits go to the top 10% of the population.  In the meantime, the deficit is touted as a reason to cut Social Security and Medicare.  Republican congress members are complicit in this.

The foreign policy:  Tariff wars, insults to friendly nations, sucking up to dictators, and the never-ending war in Afghanistan make our foreign policy a disaster.

The environment:  Protections against pollution–weakened or destroyed.  National parks–reduced and underfunded.  Worst of all, instead of fighting global climate change, policies are deliberately enacted to increase warming.  The first nine on this list are bad, but this one is already helping to make our entire planet uninhabitable.  

Devaluing Human Life

When the EPA evaluates changes in in environmental rules, it weighs the financial cost against gains in human life and health.

The lower the value of human life and health, the easier it is to justify pollution.

Last week the Trump administration decided to de-emphasize the life and health benefits related to regulating mercury emissions in coal-burning power plants.  That will make it easier to approve coal-burning plants.  

You can’t keep up.  So many bad things.  So often.  It overwhelms.  We must vote this November to at least make a start to fixing this.  We must.

To read the whole story on this policy change. see Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman, “E.P.A Aims to Revalue Human Health in Its Review of Mercury Rules,” New York Times, (Sept. 10, 2018), p. A 15.

Two bad foreign policy decisions

The Trump administration held secret meetings with Venezuelan military officers who opposed the government of President Maduro.  If there is one way to increase support for Maduro in Venezuela, it is for the U.S. to engage in an effort to overthrow his government.  The U.S. has a long history of meddling in Latin America, including military occupations and the overthrow of democratic governments like the Allende government in Chile.  

Some of the military officers who were contacted by the Trump administration were involved in serious crimes, including drug trafficking and torturing prisoners.  Trump, of course, has endorsed torture in the past, so that may not be a surprise.  I suppose the sheer stupidity of the Trump Venezuelan policy should not come as a surprise either.

The second stupid policy of the Trump administration is cutting aid to the Palestinians and stopping all contributions to the UN agency that supports five million Palestinian refugees.  This agency provides schooling, health care, food, and other services for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza.  

Not only will this policy provoke a humanitarian crisis, but it will also increase the likelihood of violence.  Israel will be next to millions of desperate people who have nothing to lose but their lives.  This may be one reason that the Israeli government has not supported or endorsed this U.S. move.

Dan Meuser

Dan Meuser is one of those rich Republicans who hopes to buy himself a seat in Congress.  He did  not live in the 9th Congressional District, but he moved into the
district last week.  He is a multi-millionaire who will spend whatever he thinks it takes to win.

Last night the Carbon County Democratic Party's Executive Committee adopted the following resolution regarding Mr. Meuser:

Whereas the 9th Congressional District contains some of the most beautiful vistas in Pennsylvania along with a variety of farms and orchards, industrial plants, institutions of higher learning, and a diverse and friendly population; and 

Whereas the residents of the 9th Congressional District really want their U.S. Representatives to live in the district like Democratic Candidate Denny Wolff has done all his life;  now therefore

The Carbon County Democratic Party Executive Board congratulates Republican Congressional Candidate Dan Meuser on his move into the 9th Congressional District last week and welcomes him into the district in which he is running for Congress; and therefore 

The Carbon County Democratic Party Executive Board authorizes the Board Secretary to send Mr. Meuser a map of Pennsylvania so he can find his way around the District.

The resolution was adopted unanimously.

Awful news that does not involve Trump (at least directly)

The Luzia Museum in Brazil burned to the ground.  Hundreds of thousands of items from the museum’s collection have been lost forever, including the only recordings of people whose nations or tribes have disappeared.

A toxic “red tide” in Florida has been occurring for an unusually long time, harming animals and birds.  The number of sea turtles sickened or killed is in the hundreds, including the endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles.  The algae bloom that causes the red tide has been made worse this year by agricultural runoff and warmer than normal weather.

Scores of dead elephants have been killed in Botswana since July.  A total of 87 elephant carcasses have had their tusks removed for sale in the illegal ivory trade.

All of this bad news came from one issue of the “failing” New York Times, Wed., Sept. 5, 2018.

Lunch with Friends

In The American Condition Richard Goodwin wrote that for many Americans, the last community they knew was in their high school.  In Palmerton today I had lunch with a group of high school friends.  We don’t reminisce much about our school days.  We’ve done that years ago.  While I am not usually considered a very social person, I showed up and enjoyed the company.  

We graduated from Palmerton High 58 years ago.  The Zinc Company was still going strong, and Dwight Eisenhower was president.  We have seen our parents and some of our friends die, children and grandchildren come along, the Vietnam War, the collapse of the U.S.S.R., and now the worst president in U.S. history.

Through it all we have remained friends.  Maybe Richard Goodwin was right.

Melting ice

One problem with climate change is the repetition.  We become bored with the news.  A climate reporter named Seth Borenstein said, “How many times can a journalist report on what is happening in the Arctic before it becomes so repetitive that people lose interest?”

Two recent books published this year discuss the melting Arctic ice in detail.  Brave New Arctic by Mark Serreze and Extreme Conservation by Joel Berger talk about the rapid changes, the melting ice, and declining species.  We all know about this, but governments do little or nothing, or, in the case of the U.S.government, adopt polices that will make the situation worse.

International League of Nationalist Creeps (ILNC)

The ILNC isn’t officially organized, but it is much like the early stages of the Axis powers.  We see a number of political leaders who have no respect for democratic norms, who behave in extra-constitutional ways, and who are popular with a large portion of their constituents.  The minority group they attack might be Muslim, immigrant, or some other despised population, but that group makes an easy target.  

Yesterday we saw Israel’s Netanyahu warmly welcome Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.  Duterte, who at one time compared his anti-drug campaign to the Nazi genocide of Jews, was welcomed by Netanyahu.  After all, they are both “strongmen” who are willing to kill unpopular people to hold power.  

To them we may add Erdogan of Turkey, Trump of the U.S., Putin of Russia, and the rulers of Hungary and Poland.  They may govern disparate countries, but all of them share a belief that the way to keep power is to whip up nationalist fervor, to attack minorities, to ignore legalities.  I believe that we may see them form an international organization of like-minded autocrats.  They already have an informal mutual admiration society.

Milkweeds

For years we have been allowing milkweeds to grow near our house in an attempt to help monarch butterflies, a species imperiled in part by chemicals produced by the Monsanto Corporation.  Two days ago I counted seven monarch caterpillars on the two stalks near our front steps.  

I am very pleased.

Sitting with the cool kids

When Megan Markle married Prince Harry, Trump was not invited to the wedding.  At the funeral service for Barbara Bush, Trump was persona non grata.  When John McCain was laid to rest, George W. Bush and Barack Obama spoke, but McCain had made it clear he did not want Trump anywhere near.

Poor Donnie Trump.

No matter how hard he tries, he never gets to sit at the table with the cool kids.