They're all crooks

No, they’re not.  I thought of this yesterday when I read the obituary of Byron Sher, a state legislator from the San Francisco peninsula.  I met Mr. Sher a number of times.  What I didn’t know was that he was the principal author of the Clean Air Act of 1988 and sponsored a waste management law that led the way to curbside recycling.  He passed legislation to remove dams on the McCloud and saved a redwood forest in Humboldt County.  In 1989 Republican governor George Deukmejian signed a bill sponsored by Sher to require the state to study the effects of global warming.

I worked as a field representative for CA state Senator Jerry Smith.  In my entire time in that office I never saw a scintilla of corruption or wrong-doing.  I was represented in Congress by Don Edwards and later represented by Norman Mineta.  Those were men of the highest moral standards.  

Do you think the men and women who run for borough councils or boards of supervisors or school boards are crooks?  Really?  They might not be the brightest people on the planet, and they often don’t get along with one another, but they are not crooks.

There are crooks in government.  The current occupant of the White House exudes corruption, and his entire family seems to be in on the grift.  But Carter, or Reagan, or George Bush (either one), or President Obama?  You might not agree with their policies, but they were not crooks.  

When you hear “they’re all crooks” you are dealing with someone who is too lazy to participate in self-government and democracy.  That person is both cynical and lazy.

the greatest deliberative body in the world

If you do an internet search for that, Google’s A.I. will tell you that particular phrase refers to the U.S.Senate.  If you have seen or heard about the Senators questioning Jack Smith today, you will be aware that you have just read what is commonly referred to as “A.I. slop.”

Doyle Heffley's campaign mailer on data centers

We received a campaign mailer today from Doyle Heffley, incumbent candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.  Like many of his campaign mailers, it was misleading.  

His very first statement is entitled “Data Center Oversight.” and says “Heffley voted for legislation pausing all zoning considerations on Data Centers.  This gives control back to local municipalities to review the impact of communities and infrastructure.”

What the mailer does not say is that under Pennsylvania law every municipality–both borough and township–must zone for every legal use.  In some cases the use may be physically impossible (Weissport does not have room for an airport, for example).  BUT, every township in the county must make provisions for a data center in that township.  

A township cannot say:  no data centers.  The township might try to impose noise abatement standards or impervious surface requirements, but it must make provision for a data center.  It also may not impose requirements that would make a building a data center impossible.

So when Rep. Heffley says “data center oversight,” he probably means he is off the to side watching the data centers being built.

Pervert glasses

At our last big “No Kings” Rally in Lehighton there was an “agent provocateur” who was walking along wearing a MAGA hat and trying to start a fight.  Somebody told me his glasses contained a camera, and if someone actually did throw a punch, he would then have the film he needed to go to court.  He was unsuccessful, although I think he did claim someone shoved him.

In any case, I read those glasses, Meta’s Ray-Bans, were often used by guys as they pestered women in gyms and changing rooms, secretly recording them.  I also learned those glasses were called “pervert glasses.”  Perfect name.

Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay has been the end point for various pollutants, most of which wash down on the Susquehanna River from the watershed in Pennsylvania.  A program to curtail these pollutants has been in effect for years and has had a positive effect, although more needs to be done.

The Trump administration did away with the program, according to an article in the latest issue of Lancaster Farming.  I am always amazed that there is no environmental regulation or rule, no matter how small, that the Trump administration can’t mess with or screw up.

They improve nothing but somehow manage to be incredibly thorough at destruction.  Truly amazing.

The Times: Too Pro-Hamas?

Florida’s attorney general, James Uthmeier, said that the New York Times coverage of the Israel-Hamas War had an anti-Israel bias.  He claims that bias is hurting the state pension holders who own stock in the Times, and he is suing the paper.  This was a “shareholder’s suit,” he said, not a defamation suit.

Florida owns about 145,000 shares of Times stock.

Uthmeier also sued Starbucks, claiming it violated Florida’s anti-discrimination laws by hiring too many minority employees.  He also opened an investigation into the NFL for what he said was its practice in hiring minorities.  I hope he doesn’t go after Jalen Hurts.

I also own stocks in the New York Times..  I don’t know exactly how many; I bought the stocks some years ago, and I actually get a dividend.  I think the last one was about $6.00, which pays for one Sunday paper.  I want to make clear that I am not a party to Uthmeier’s lawsuit.  

A woman who doesn't understand democratic government

In a front page article on “Voters’ Distrust,” a woman from Pennsylvania was quoted about her opinion of Gov. Josh Shapiro.  She described his position on a data center in her town as an “about-face.”  

She said, “ I don’t trust him now.  He’s just saying what he needs to get votes.”  Yes, and I love him for it.  He is responding to the will of the people.  That is what is supposed to happen in a democracy.  Politicians are supposed to reflect what we want.

I take pride in changing my mind on certain political issues as I learn more about them and realize I was wrong.  And no, I am not going to embarrass myself and detail what some of those issues were.  And thank you, Gov. Shapiro, for listening to the people of Pennsylvania.