Wild Bill Hickok appeared on stage in Niagara Falls in the play “The Daring Buffalo Chasers of the Plains.” By all accounts he was terrible.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-14-16
Kathleen Kane Hearing Theater Of Absurd
Kathleen Kane Hearing Theater Of Absurd By Leo Knepper
Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, the Governor can request the removal of certain “civil officials” outside of the impeachment process. After the suspension of Kane’s law license, and refusal to resign, a Special Committee on Senate Address was convened to determine if Kane should remain in office without her law license. On Tuesday, (Jan. 12) the Special Committee on Senate Address held its final hearing on Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
The hearing was eye-opening, to say the least. Although Attorney General Kane did not testify, her Chief of Staff, Jonathan Duecker, addressed the Committee in her stead. Duecker was frequently backed into a corner, mainly because his positions defied logic and were self-contradictory. When his statements didn’t put him into a corner, they were hedged and revealed how little Duecker knew about the operations of the Attorney General’s office. For example, Duecker had no idea what Kane’s day to day schedule was and couldn’t say for sure when she had last worked in Harrisburg. He also didn’t know if Kane had provided written instructions to the Attorney General’s legal staff about changes to procedure after she had her law license suspended. Duecker also was unable to answer fundamental questions about the contracting process Kane went through when she appointed a “Special Prosecutor” related to her investigation into pornographic emails. His unfamiliarity with the details of this contract comes as a surprise considering its high profile and the controversy it caused among the legal staff in the AG’s office.
If you have two and a half hours and want to watch the testimony, it can be found here. However if you wish to maintain any confidence in the operational capacity of the Attorney General’s office, you should probably skip it.
Rounding out the hearing was testimony from Ed Rendell. He didn’t exactly speak in defense of Kane. Rather, he talked about his time as the Philadelphia District Attorney and how a large part of his work did not require him to have a law license. Although Rendell seemed to enjoy his walk down memory lane, his testimony was only marginally relevant because District Attorneys are not subject to the Commonwealth Attorneys Act. The Act defines the role of the AG as an elected position and what legal responsibilities it has in the Commonwealth. Despite Rendell’s commentary, his experience as a District Attorney is hardly relevant to Kane’s ability to function with a suspended law license. He also urged the General Assembly to go through the impeachment process, instead of the Senate utilizing the Special Committee on Senate Address to resolve the issue of Kane’s suitability for office.
The Senate Committee will issue its final report by the end of January and make its recommendation to the full Senate.
Mr. Knepper is executive director of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.
Kathleen Kane Hearing Theater Of Absurd
Donna Ellingsen Kim Kennedy Kudos
Donna Ellingsen Kim Kennedy Kudos — Kudos to Kim Kennedy of WFYL for her just ended (7:30 a.m.) interview with Elk Township GOP committeewoman Donna Ellingsen.
Donna and four other committeepersons are the subject of an inquisition with intent to remove by the Chester County Republican establishment.
Yes, the goal is to remove this elected people despite any denials the powers-that-be are making. Hearing dates have been picked without consulting the schedules of these volunteers. Initially, the four were not even told what charges they would be facing namely violating GOP bylaws by opposing candidates supported by the party.
Donna did not address the specifics of the charges saying she wanted to wait until the closed-door, any-thing-but-transparent hearing as to not jeopardize matters for the other three.
The hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 26 but the accused are attempting to change the date as it conflicts with matters to which they’ve already committed. One of those accused even has a long-scheduled out-of-the-country business trip. Donna has said the four are trying to find a list of alternative dates to offer the county powers.
Donna told Kim that she represents her constituents and her conscience, and does not blindly follow the dictates of her party boss who she pointed out is a paid lobbyist with numerous, and obvious, potential conflicts of interests.
She noted that the state Republican Party leaders are more than willing to almost suicidally push through unpopular legislation to benefit the political class i.e. the Corbett Gas Tax but fanatically oppose popular reforms that would hurt it i.e. getting out of the liquor business.
She noted that with paid lobbyists controlling the allegedly fiscal responsible political side, ridiculous spending occurs such as $477,000 public pensions.
She said she got involved in politics because she loves her country. Presumably, she believed what the Republican Party claimed it stood for.
Donna Ellingsen Kim Kennedy Kudos
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-13-16
No Miranda, you don’t stand behind a podium. You stand on a podium. The thing you stand behind is a lectern.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-13-16
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-12-16
William Penn’s first choice to name his American holdings was New Wales. He changed it to Sylvania after which King Charles II changed it to Pennsylvania in honor of Penn’s father who was instrumental in his restoration.
New Wales William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-12-16
Alex Rahn Wanner Associates And Their Clients
Alex Rahn Wanner Associates And Their Clients — As the onion unpeels in Chester County answers are revealed to questions that have long puzzled those in the “my-burden-is-hard-please-don’t-add-to-it” constituency as to why with our crushing government debt incomprehensibly bizarre spending choices are made.
For instance, giving millions in subsidies to rich horse owners.
And this seemingly drunken spending happens just as often when Republican voters give political power to those who campaign against such things.
Republicans controlled all branches of Pennsylvania government between 2011 and 2015. Why does Planned Parenthood still get money? Where is the desperately needed pension reform? Why do rich horse owners get millions from taxpayers?
Well, as noted the answers are being revealed.
Chester County remains a Republican stronghold and most of its voters can still be said to fall into the social conservative AND fiscal conservative categories. Val DiGiorgio, the man running the county GOP, however, as noted earlier, appears to have a close relationship with those running extreme-liberal Democrat stronghold Montgomery County.
His right-hand man Alex Rahn, as also noted, has a wife who gives big to liberal Democrat causes.
Now, some might argue that this is not Saudi Arabia and one can’t control what one’s wife does and they’d be right.
Of course, that doesn’t mean they have to get her a county job either.
But enough about spouses as that is just the gravy and not the meat.
DiGiorgio is a registered lobbyist whose clients include well-loved and friendly Comcast and the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. started by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter in 2009.
Rahn is the Chesco GOP Area 1 chairman who is/was the reputed mastermind behind the purge attempt of Chesco committeepeople who don’t have their minds right. He is a senior associate/lobbyist with Wanner Associates, a major Harrisburg lobbying firm. Their client list includes Standardbred Breeders Association of Pa., and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, a huge opponent of pension reform.
Residents of Area 1, ask yourself does Rahn’s interests lie in making you happy or his clients? It’s a fair question. Residents of Chester County, ask yourself if Val DiGiorgio is more likely to address your concerns or those of Philadelphia or Comcast? And who is more likely to have their phone call taken seriously by a legislator, you or DiGiorgio?
Now everybody, ask yourselves why the-powers-that-be always push for bonds and tax hikes to resolve fiscal problems rather than commonsense spending efficiency that might mean less income to the government-connected but more income for you?
Alex Rahn Wanner Associates And Their Clients
Donna Ellingsen Guest Of It’s A New Day
Donna Ellingsen Guest Of It’s A New Day — Donna Ellingsen, the Republican committeewoman from Elk Township who has become a target of Chester County’s powers-that-be, will be guest, Thursday, Jan. 14, on Kim Kennedy’s It’s a New Day call-in program on WFYL 1180 AM.
It’s a New Day airs 7-9 a.m. and can also be heard online here.
Donna is a homeschooling mom of two teenagers, describes herself as a Christian Constitutional conservative and has held her seat for five years.
Donna Ellingsen Guest Of It’s A New Day
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-11-16
The first recorded use of gray as a color name in the English language was in 700 A.D.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-11-16
Of Sound Mind Looms
Of Sound Mind Looms — Of Sound Mind by local author and former County Press (Pa) sports editor Jim Waltzer is being promoted by Medallion Press. The book will be available in April.
It’s a revision of Jim’s thriller Sound of Mind which has already appeared in French and English.
It is set in Philadelphia and concerns audiometry technician Richard Keene who possesses abnormally acute powers of hearing which leads him into trouble.
It’s an excellent noir thriller and Keene is one of the most unique characters to appear in recent fiction.
Of Sound Mind Looms
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-9-16
Tomorrow is Jan. 10. What momentous event occurred 116 years ago on that date?
That’s right Anthony, the invention of the flashlight, or at least the approval of its patent. It was by the American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Co. which soon became The American Ever Ready Co., which after its acquisition by National Carbon Co. in 1914, had its products marketed as Everready.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 1-9-16 on the invention of the flashlight.