Category: Philadelphia Inquirer

Inky Still Won’t Mention Party

In today’s lengthy front page story regarding the Luzerne County judicial scandal, the Philadelphia Inquirer again could not bring itself to mention that those involved were Democrats.

At least I didn’t see it.

I’m not a hardcore Republican and I certainly recognize the need for two parties.

And I certainly understand that a Republican can be dirty.

But the reason why Republican scandals are less — in frequency and magnitude — is because that party understands it will be held accountable by the still mainstream media for bad behavior by its members. The Democratic Party leaders understand they will get a pass.

The most recent major scandals in Republican Delaware County involved then Senate Majority Leader F. Joseph Loeper in 2000 and Congressman Curt Weldon in 2006. 

With regard to what Loeper did — take money from consultants in violation of Senate rules and lie about it on his income tax forms — it was kids stuff compared to what goes on in Philadelphia (see Vince Fumo, another story in which the Inquirer could not bring itself to cite party) or Luzerne County for that matter.

With regard to what Weldon did, as the above link indicates, nobody is exactly sure what it was he did. In fact the scandal appears to be more a matter of federal law enforcement interfering with an election on behalf of a liberal Democrat rather than any acts by the former congressman.

In a related Luzerne County matter Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta (R)  is reported to be ready to announce a rematch with Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D) to represent Pa. 11.

Why? Because they are Democrats.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, today, finally got around to publishing a in-depth report regarding the Luzerne County youth court scandal.

“How? Why?” they ask in the headline.

The scandal concerns the sending of hundreds of youngsters to private detention centers for often minor offenses such as fighting on the school bus. The centers were paid per prisoner and it is alleged the operators kicked back money to county judges to fill the facilities.

Judges Michael T. Conahan and Mark A. Ciavarella face federal racketeering, bribery and extortion charges. A federal judge, last month, rejected a plea bargain that would have sentenced them to 87 months saying it was too lenient.

In asking the how and the why, the Inquirer never felt it necessary to allot one of the article’s 2,000 or so words to identify the party of the men, which is the one that controls Luzerne County.

It starts with a D.

Their policy really does seem to be that party affiliation is redundant when dealing with Democrats. They certainly don’t feel it necessary to note the party when dealing with Republican scandals.

And, so when is Curt Weldon going to jail?

Ashley Fox And The Banality Of Evil

Philadelphia Inquirer NFL columnist Ashley Fox, today,  expressed approval of commentator Rush Limbaugh being removed from consideration from owning a part of the St. Louis Rams.

Fine.

She  wrote that he was not qualified to own an NFL team because he was too controversial and that he insulted Donovan McNabb in 2003 when he said he was not a good a quarterback as the consensus opinion and that the media was protecting him because he was black.

Fine.

What isn’t fine is that an act of extraordinary evil occurred and she refused to express outrage much less even recognize it.

It quite reasonable and defensible to think McNabb is overrated — there were those who thought John Elway was overrated — or was protected because he was black.

It is not, however, defensible to believe that the murderer of Martin Luther King Jr., a decent and heroic man, deserves a medal. It is not defensible to think that slavery was beneficial. One who says those things is despicable.

Rush was reported as saying those things by major media outlets and national political figures. It was that reporting that likely lost him his bid. He never said them. There are those who still believe he did.

Ms. Fox in her column chose not address this wrong — and actually perpetuated a distortion of his statement regarding “Bloods and Crips” She used her space to write a banal column accepting evil and injustice.

What she did was a disgrace.

She should hang her head in shame.

Ashley Fox And The Banality Of Evil

Ashley Fox And The Banality Of Evil

Better Late Than Never Regarding Acorn

Kudos to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

On the front of today’s Currents, the editorial section, it carried a fine summation of the ACORN scandal written by Kevin Ferris, with the added bonus of an excellent report by Frank Wilson of Bruce Bawer’s book, Surrender: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom, which points out the strange lengths the media, art and educational
establishments go toward appeasing radical Islam. Wilson noted, for
instance, that a survey showing that 20 percent of US Muslims aren’t really opposed to suicide bombing was portrayed in papers such as USA Today and the Christian Science Monitor as being a positive thing.

Wilson took pride, rightfully, in pointing out the Inquirer ran one of the controversial Danish cartoon depictions of Mohammad that created a stir in 2006.

He appears incorrect, at least as per Wikipedia, with regard to the Inky being the only daily to do so. However, it is true that the vast majority of the old media — broadcast as well as print — chose to run and hide.

So kudos to the Inquirer.

Better Late Than Never Regarding Acorn

Better Late Than Never Regarding Acorn

AP And Inky Play Blocking Fullback For ACORN

The Philadelphia Inquirer, today, moved the ACORN scandal up to page 3, and the story was rather lengthy, albeit granted it was wire copy from AP.

And of course the geist of it was how ACORN was shocked — shocked I say — at the events depicted in the videos taken at four of its offices in important urban areas and was going to have an “independent” investigation.

The story didn’t mention that the group initially threatened to sue filmmakers James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles for the sting and Fox News for airing it, nor did it point out that the Senate voted 83-7 to defund the group, nor did it point out that Pennsylvania’s own Little Bobby Casey was among the seven dissenters.

Shocked, I say, I’m shocked that the story doesn’t mention those things.

The story did, however, try to imply the complaints were partisan by unhip Republicans despite the Senate being controlled by Democrats and the vote to defund being strongly bipartisan — Little Bobby Casey excepted of course.

The Delaware County Daily Times ran the same piece of AP damage control although they put in on page 19 and cut it a little shorter.

Inquirer Mentions Acorn Scandal

Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer referenced the ACORN scandal.

It was in a three-paragraph story on page 16 regarding Sen Mike Johanns demand for an investigation.

 

Inquirer Mentions Acorn Scandal

 

Inquirer Mentions Acorn Scandal

Stories I missed in the Inquirer

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Inquirer for at least putting Saturday’s National Tea Party in Washington on the front page of its Sunday edition. Granted the headline was a bit small and downplayed the magnitude of the event. The British press, for instance, has estimated the crowd size at 2 million, and other sources have estimated at over 1 million.

Here, however, are some stories I missed in the publication:

1. Democratic Party farm-team ACORN giving advice to a “pimp” and “prostitute” in Baltimore about how to launder money and avoid paying taxes.   They  recommended they declare child prostitutes from El Salvador as dependents. Seriously.  Can’t blame the Inky too much for missing the second sting reported today.  ACORN is bragging that its Philadelphia office didn’t fall for it. ACORN gets millions in federal tax dollars.

2. Obama supporter bits off finger of 65-year-old man protesting health care plan.  On the bright side, the finger was reattached.

3. That another governor used the services of the madame that supplied Eliot Spitzer. Who could it be?

Kevin Ferris Asks Why Obama Ignores Voter Intimidation

And with regard to the Inky, kudos to Kevin Ferris for his column today regarding the Obama administration strange dismissal of civil rights complaints against members of the New Black Panther Party for actions taken last Election Day at a polling place at 1221 Fairmount St., Philadelphia.

Samir Shabazz,  and Jerry Jackson dressed in paramilitary style uniforms and made racially disparaging comments and threats at voters while brandishing night sticks.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. dismissed the complaints filed by the victims last May and won’t say why. Ferris is asking as  should all who love democracy.

His column can be found: www.philly.com/philly/columnists/20090830_Back_Channels_.html

For a video of the incident see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU

 

Kevin Ferris Asks Why Obama Ignores Voter Intimidation

Vince Fumo Is A Democrat

Jeff Gammage had a very interesting story in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer as to what former State Sen. Vince Fumo can look forward to as he serves his 55-month sentence at a federal facility in Kentucky.  He neglected to mention Fumo’s party, a simple oversight I’m sure.

Fumo, of course, is a Democrat. Perhaps Gammage felt that mentioning the 55-month prison sentence made it redundant to refer to the political party.

The story can be found at:  http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20090830_No_place_for_titans_.html?page=1&c=y