Green Party of Pennsylvania v. Aichele

The latest issue of the Ballot Access News arrived yesterday with an article discussing a lawsuit filed on June 9 by the Libertarian and Green parties.  The lawsuit’s main focus is the prohibition against out-of-state residents circulating petitions, but other rules are also questioned, including:

     1.  the requirement that a signer must fill in the year in the “date” column;

     2.  the notarization requirement; 

     3.  the restriction that forbids residents from two different counties from signing the same sheet.

All of those requirements have no good reason for being other than to make it hard to run for office in Pennsylvania.  I don’t know why the Democrats and Republicans have not filed amicus briefs.  

Aichele, by the way, is the Secretary of State who pushed for the voter I.D. law.

World War III

Here’s what scares me. When Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated exactly 100 years ago, no one expected a general war.  It was some quarrel between Serbs and Austrians, it was far away, and it had nothing to do with France or Germany or Britain--certainly not the U.S.

Nonetheless, by a series of small steps almost the entire world was sucked into a global conflict that killed 8.5 million soldiers and 7 million civilians.  In addition, historians often point out that the seeds of WWII were planted between 1914 and 1918.

Here are three lessons.  First, don’t be overeager to jump into war.  In fact, there was little reason for either Britain or the U.S. to enter the war, and almost everyone who studies the origins of WWI can think of any number of points where war could have been averted with better leadership and more flexibility.

Second, nations over-learned the first lesson and waited too long to confront Germany in the Thirties.  When Britain and the U.S. and the Soviet Union did act, it was almost too late.  In fact, two of those countries only were drawn into the conflict after they were attacked.

The final lesson is that some event may be occurring that could be the beginning of World War III.  The Sunni and Shiite conflict could spread, the Ukraine/Russian tension could escalate, the conflict between China and its neighbors over control of the South Pacific could blow up, the rivalry between India and Pakistan could go nuclear, and war could spread.  We will wonder why we didn’t see it coming.

Buffer Zones

As a dues-paying card-carrying member of the American Civil Liberties Union, perhaps I should celebrate the Supreme Court striking down buffer zones in front of abortion clinics in the name of free speech.  But I’m not celebrating.

Suppose when I went in for my radiation treatments I had to pass through a line of people telling me to pray, telling me I was going to hell, getting in my face, screaming insults.

We are not talking about rational debate here.  Intimidation and threats are not protected speech.  The justices need to hang up their robes occasionally and visit the real world the rest of us live in.

Cellphones and the Supreme Court

Finally the Supreme Court got one right, ruling 9-0 that a cellphone search requires a warrant.

I thought about making a snide comment about how this didn’t affect me; the best way to avoid a search was to forego buying a cellphone.  Nevertheless, I’m fully aware that most Americans do have cellphones.  

In the majority opinion, Justice Roberts discussed “general warrants,” which allowed the British government to conduct unrestrained searches.  He said it was one of the causes of the American Revolution.  I like it when conservative judges realize that the Constitution must be flexible and applicable to modern technology.

One commentator said that the Supreme Court probably ruled that way because all of the justices had cell phones and didn’t like the idea that cops could simply search their records.  Whatever the reason, it was a good decision.  

(By the way, a few weeks ago Linda did buy me a “track phone,” and I actually made two calls on it.  Then I lost it.  I’m not getting another one.)

Jim Thorpe

My sister-in-law from Texas and my uncle from Newport News, Virginia, are visiting us this week.  This morning we took them to see the memorial for Jim Thorpe.  We also saw the courtroom where the Mollie Maguires were tried, and we stopped by the train station and the 7+ ton of coal in the downtown park.  

I stopped in at Dugan’s to buy my New York Times, and I mentioned to Mr. Dugan how impressed my relatives were with this area.  I said something to the effect that those of us who live here don’t appreciate what we see every day.  The man behind me said, “Isn’t that the truth.”  

The moral of this story is:  Try to see your surroundings like a tourist.  Almost anywhere people live would be interesting to a visitor.  Try to see your own neighborhood through the eyes of a tourist.

Longing for reasonable Republicans

Just suppose Republicans in the House and Senate were reasonable.  They would point out flaws in the Affordable Care Act and suggest fixes.  They would worry about the destruction of fair elections resulting from the “Citizens United” decision and support a constitutional amendment to regulate campaign finance.  They would back reasonable restrictions on weaponry.  They wouldn’t try to eliminate the Export-Import Bank, realizing that it actually aids mid-size businesses.  

They would be conservative, but they wouldn’t be stupid.  They would put the country ahead of their partisanship.  

Today a group of economists and political types put out a report warning of the effects of global warming.  Among the people who signed on were George P. Shultz, Nixon’s Treasury Secretary, and Henry M.Paulson, Jr., who was George W. Bush’s Treasury Secretary.  It is probably no surprise that former Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York is also associated with the report. 

What caught my eye was the headline in today’s Times:  “Bipartisan Report Tallies High Toll on Economy From Global Warming.”  Actually it was the word “bipartisan.”  You don’t see that much any more in America, and I miss it.

Refusing to vote

Twice in the last two weeks while canvassing for Wolf in Lansford I ran into women who said they would not vote.  In today’s Times op ed columnist Charles Blow wrote about how the low opinion of government combined with various attempts at voter suppression have combined to depress turnout and increase non-voting.

I would add that the overwhelming amount of money in campaigns and the prevalence of negative advertising have also turned people away from voting. 

As Blow points out, this is exactly what the Tea Party types want.  Rich people vote.  The fewer poor people who vote, the less their power.  They certainly can’t compete with campaign contributions, but one person’s vote still equals another.

The problem is that when I am canvassing, I never know what to say.  I’m tempted to say, “Look stupid, this is your only way of exerting some influence,” but I know that won’t work.  I could say, “So, I guess those men died in Normandy for nothing,” but I don’t think people are moved by those arguments.  

I really don’t have a good answer.  I’d appreciate suggestions.

Rocky Mountain Mike

An alert reader sent me a link to Rocky Mountain Mike, a singer/songwriter you might enjoy.  Check out especially the selection on Benghazi.  I think you’ll enjoy it.  Go to <https://soundcloud.com/rockymountainmike>.

Camp Adams

Camp Adams is a facility for “troubled youth” (some very troubled indeed) located in Penn Forest Township.  Camp Adams is a great example of what goes wrong when a function that should be handled by government is turned over to the private sector.  This is the type of result we can expert when Corbett and the Republican legislators continue their attempt to turn government activities over to corporations who care for nothing but profit.

The company that runs Camp Adams was involved in the “Kids for Cash” scandal.  Note that there would have been no scandal if government had run the programs.  If the government ran Camp Adams, there would be no pressure to fill the beds.

I can understand why Jim Thorpe parents are reluctant to have 50 or more kids, some of whom are seriously bad, come into Jim Thorpe schools.  I just hope that those parents realize that the fault is not with the kids at the camp, who really do need help.  The fault is with a philosophy that puts profit ahead of everything else.  If you like that policy, you should vote for Corbett and his Republican legislators.

Scott Walker, go to jail

During the recall campaign against Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, I volunteered to make phone calls for the unions.  I remember one voter was just incensed when she learned I was from Pennsylvania.  She told me in no uncertain terms that this was an issue for the people of Wisconsin, not outside interferers.

Now we are learning that Walker’s top campaign aides supervised the spending of out-of-state rightwing groups, even directing some of them.  These groups could accept unlimited secret donations, including corporate contributions.  So much for the recall being a matter for Wisconsinites.

I wish I had saved that woman’s number.  I’d call her up and tell her to check out the whole story at <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/20/us/scott-walker-wisconsin-governor.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0>  As for Governor Walker, I’m hoping he either goes to jail, is impeached, or both.  He knowingly violated quite a few of Wisconsin’s campaign finance laws.  

Washington Redskins

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued an opinion yesterday that a team can’t trademark a racist name.  The owner of the Washington team will appeal. 

Here’s the rule on this subject.  You cannot tell a group or a person what is and what is not insulting.  You can’t say to American Indians, “Redskin really isn’t an insult, it’s a term of endearment.”  That is not for you to say.

It is not for you to lecture an ethnic or racial group how they should react to labels.  You can’t call me a dumb Dutchman and then say, “Don’t get so upset--it’s no big deal.”  To me the term “dumb Dutchman” is insulting to me, and I get to decide what is insulting to me, you don’t.  

I will use a non-racial epithet for the owner of the Washington “redskins.”  He’s a total ass.  It’s not trademarked.  Feel free to use it yourself.

Corbett's ultimatum

If I were a Republican legislator in Pennsylvania, I’d be rather irritated to be dictated to by the Governor.  He won’t consider any tax increase unless the legislature passes a pension reform on his terms.  He also demands the sale of the Wine and Spirits shops, which make millions for the state every year.

This from a governor who is down in the polls and will probably drag some Republican legislators with him.  On the other hand, maybe Republican legislators are so used to be the Governor’s lap dogs that they will automatically follow his lead.

The Exceptional Film Club

We probably average a movie every two weeks, but we were tired of driving to Allentown or Stroudsburg to see some quality cinema.  After an experiment with “Inquality for All,” which drew an audience of over 60 people, Bruce, the manager of the Mahoning Valley Cinema, worked with Linda to bring in more of independent productions and serious films.  

Here’s how it works.  When a quality film is showing at Mahoning, Linda emails all of the people in the Exceptional Film Club.  They receive a two dollar discount by showing a coupon attached to the email.  The first one Bruce was able to get was “Philomena,” followed recently by “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”  

Now “Chef” is showing.  Here is my review:

Chef belongs to a genre of food movies like Babette’s Feast, Big Night, and yes, Ratatouille.  You leave the theater with a craving for excellent cuisine, even if you’ve already had a large bag of buttered popcorn.

Director and star Jon Favreau is a chef with integrity.  When Dustin Hoffman, his restaurant boss, demands he serve the same old menu that brings customers through the door, the two get into a shouting match that is captured on film and goes viral on the internet.

The Chef, with the help of ex-wife Sofia Vergara (of Modern Family) and her very funny ex-ex-husband Robert Downey, obtains a food truck in Miami and drives it across the country.  The road trip includes cubanos in Miami, po boys in New Orleans, and barbecue in Austin.  

Thus we have cooking, road trip, buddy movie, family reconnecting movie (Emjay Anthony as the ten-year-old is a wonder), and personal redemption movie.  All of this with a great soundtrack featuring Cuban and blues bands.

The movie is rated R (mostly for bad language), which is a shame, because ten-year-olds would enjoy it.  Running time is 115 minutes.  Four stars.

If you live in the Lehighton area and would like to join the most informal organization you’ll ever be a part of, email <LAChris@ptd.net> and enroll today.

Killing for God

It took hundreds of years for European Catholics and Protestants to arrive at a non-violent accommodation.  (I’m discounting Northern Ireland, where evidently 16th century norms still hold).  One would think that by now Sunnis and Shiites would also have learned to tolerate each other.

The irony is that people are killing each other over a non-existent deity.  To those of us who are atheists, this is equivalent to killing each other over which X-Man is the best.  

I am also fully aware that in parts of the globe--Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kansas--I would be killed for writing the paragraph above.

(P.S.:  It’s Wolverine.)

Carbon Dems meet

On Saturday morning the newly elected Democratic Committeemen and Committeewomen met at the Nesquehoning Fire Company. We had the usual coffee and donuts, elected the County Chair (Billy O’Gurek), and heard the Treasurer’s report (not too much money, per usual).

What struck me was how happy the Democrats were.  A few months ago I attended a meeting of the 9/12 group in Carbon County.  They are our local equivalent of a Tea Party group, and they were so angry.  Angry at unions.  Angry at immigrants.  Angry at the Affordable Care Act.  At least three of them were packing.  

And here were the Democrats.  Happy to see each other.  Happy for the coffee.  Happy to have won their elections.  Nobody armed.  

I am so pleased to be a Democrat.  So happy.

Panther Valley School District fires janitors

On Thursday night the Panther Valley School Board, which covers Nesquehoning, Lansford, Summit Hill, and Coaldale, voted to replace 16 union employees with a New Jersey company and scab labor.

The Board first asked the janitors to take a $5.00 an hour pay cut.  Their pay was $15 an hour, which meant a reduction to $10 an hour.  They said no, understandably.

Drive through Bertsch Street in Lansford, or Railroad Street in Nesquehoning.  These places need help.  And now the school board turns its back on local employees and hires scabs.  What a travesty.

David Brat

You have to admit--it’s a great name for a Tea Party candidate.

Columnist Gail Collins pointed out today that nearly 14% of eligible voters in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District went to the polls.  She also noted that Virginia has one of those primaries in which Democrats are able to vote in the Republican primary.   If I had been voting in that district, would I have voted for Brat?  Of course.  I’m a real jerk that way.  I’m sure there were more like me.

Let’s get some perspective here.  One primary out of 435 districts.  14% of the eligible voters.  The guy defeated not very likable.  

Don’t read too much into this.   Settle down.  Take some deep breaths.

Eric, we hardly knew ye

On a rational basis I should be disappointed that Eric Cantor lost his primary.  His opponent, David Brat, is a Tea Party candidate who seems to be racist on immigration reform and probably thinks that global warming is a hoax. 

Nonetheless, I can’t bring myself to feel any sorrow.  After all, Cantor sucked up to Tea Party candidates in 2010.  Instead of confronting their ideology, he tried to move even further to the right.  And  finally, he spent $5.4 million to Brat’s $200,000.

So I say to Cantor as Ben Gunn used to say in Treasure Island, “hard cheese.”  Or as they say in Russia, “toughski shitski.”  Or as they say in California, “what goes around comes around.”  Are you getting the impression that I’m enjoying this?  How right you are.

Kentucky cultivator

My favorite day of the year is less than two weeks away.  It is June 21 when the days begin to shorten.  One of the problems with being raised on a farm is that you are taught to work until it get dark.  But by June 21, full darkness doesn’t arrive until after 9 p.m. 

That means I am out there mowing the lawn, trimming the forsythia bushes, picking wild strawberries, hoeing the peppers, or pushing the Kentucky cultivator between the rows of vegetables to eliminate the weeds.  The Kentucky cultivator has a big wheel in front and blades in back.  You push it along like a Third World peasant.  It is exhausting.  That’s why I didn’t post last night.  I went straight to bed.

On an rational level, I know I shouldn’t feel guilty coming in early.  I know I’m not a real farmer like my mom and dad were.  Unfortunately, guilt feeling don’t work on rational level.  I can hardly wait until the days grow short again.

War on Coal; War on Teachers

Some guy in a wolf suit showed up at Tom Wolf’s York campaign headquarters with a sign that said “Stop Tom Wolf’s war on coal.  Corbett says the coal industry provides 60,000 Pennsylvania jobs.  He pulled these figures out of the air.

On June 7 the Morning Call published a list of the ten top counties with coal mining jobs.  Greene County led the list with 3,544 jobs.  Jefferson County was tenth with 116 jobs.  Carbon, named for coal, had 35 coal mining jobs.  Lehigh and Northampton had none.  I added up the top ten counties and came out with 7377 jobs.

To put this in perspective, in the last four years, under the Corbett administration, approximately 20,000 teachers lost their jobs.             

Sgt. Bergdahl

Perhaps you’ve noticed that I try not to comment on topics that everyone seems to be going nuts over, like Christie’s bridge problems, or the Republicans’ obsession about Benghazi, or speculation about Hillary Clinton, but I just have to say something about Sgt. Bergdahl.

I have yet to see a POW/MIA flag or bumper sticker that said, “But leave the deserters and bad soldiers there.”  I have yet to see a Republican recognize that there is a difference between Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  I can’t believe that McCain said a few months ago that he would seriously consider the exchange of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bergdahl but now says he would not have made this deal.

And WTF does the length of Sgt. Bergdahl’s father’s beard have to do with anything?

Then there’s the argument that men lost their lives looking for him.  I know an unnecessary war over weapons of mass destruction in which thousands of American men and women lost their lives for nothing.

In a column entitled “President Obama Was Right,” David Brooks noted that Israel once traded 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli.  I certainly don’t know the circumstances of Sgt. Bergdahl’s capture, but I do know he was an American.  He was one of us.  Get him home.

Fracking problems

The EPA’s proposal to limit coal burning is a good one, but we continue to have major environmental problems with the so-called “clean-burning fuels” we obtain from fracking.  Matthew L. Wald in an article in the Times Business section (6/4/14) noted three big ones.

First, cheap natural gas is replacing more expensive nuclear power.  While nuclear reactors have waste problems, they also have approximately zero carbon footprint.

Secondly, many areas using fracking to obtain oil (i.e., North Dakota) have no pipelines to carry away the natural gas.  The excess gas produced is “flared off,” resulting in emissions up to 16.5 million tons annually.

Finally, the methane released during fracking adds large amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.   The estimates are that between 2007 and 2013, a methane equivalent of up to 19 million tons of carbon dioxide was released.

The next time somebody starts touting how wonderful fracking is, you might mention one or two of the downsides. 

Shooting dogs, rabbits, and students

I just don’t understand American gun laws.  A guy in Allentown has been charged with cruelty to animals because he shot a dog that was running near his rabbit and chicken pens.  He is now out on $50,000 bail.

That same man could purchase a hunting license allowing him to take a shotgun out into the woods and shoot small mammals like rabbits and squirrels with no problem whatsoever.

Finally, if he lives in a state such as Montana with a “Castle Doctrine,” he can shoot and kill a student who came into his garage.  He doesn’t even need a license.

Jim Zbick's hard-hitting analysis

Today’s editorial by Jim Zbick in the Times News was absolutely brilliant.  He pointed out that it wasn’t the availability of guns that led to the shootings at Santa Barbara, it was mental health issues.

Our mental health system has failed us.  The fact that the young man was able to amass an arsenal with ammo is not the issue here; his mental health is the issue. 

Zbick says the shootings will continue until we address mental health issues.  Regulating weaponry is not in the cards.  

I tell you, the guy is brilliant.  Why this man has not won a Pulitzer is hard to explain.   Wow.  

Dumb and Selfish

No, I’m not talking about Ted Cruz.  I’m talking about me.

Dumb:  I volunteered last year to be the Treasurer of the Committee to Elect Helen Torok.  Ms. Torok was running for a seat on the Lehighton Borough Council, and I knew she would be excellent.  

It is the duty of the Treasurer to file campaign expenditure reports.  One was due the second Friday before the Primary, and it had to be in by May 9.  We’ve had no activity in 2014, and I totally forgot.  The penalty is $20 a day for the first six days you are late, and $10 a day after that, excluding weekends.  Today I realized I had missed the deadline and went into the Registrar’s office to report.  I owe $220.

I found out the treasurer is personally responsible for the late fee.  Money from the campaign cannot be used to pay the fine.  Ok, lesson learned.  The next report is due June 9, in by June 19.  I will be on time.

Selfish:  I should have gone to Harrisburg for the Raise the Wage rally.  Instead I stayed home to plant peppers, cucumbers, and okra.  Do I feel guilty?  Somewhat, but I was hoping they wouldn’t miss one person.  And if everyone thought like that, there would be no rally.  I will do better next time.

Obama gets it

At a time when the Koch Brothers are attacking green energy sources, when candidates for congress deny obvious climate change, and when the average American worries more about the Kardashians than about carbon dioxide and methane, it is so refreshing to have a President who understands the importance of leading the world in reducing greenhouses gasses.

In 50 years historians will see how important were the President’s efforts to do something about our planetary destruction.  People will look at Senators Cruz and Rubio as obstructionists who put political ambition ahead of saving the planet.  They will be the bad guys of our era.

On the other hand, with the global climate change that is occurring, the resulting wars and violence may have plunged us into a new Dark Age, and people will be too busy trying to survive to think about history.  No one will remeber the Koch Brothers or Rubio or Cruz--or the Kardashians.

We need a majority

Once when presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson was speaking to a large gathering, a man yelled from the audience, "The thinking people are with you."  Stevenson paused and said, "That's not enough--we need a majority."

I thought of that when I read the headline in today's Times entitled "Environmental Groups Focus on Change by Strengthening Their Political Operations."  We are up against Big Oil, Big Coal, and an electorate that can't seem to grasp that the effects of climate change are already being felt around the world.

We are not even close to a majority.  We don't have enough "thinking people."