Category: Bob Small

Swarthmore Won’t Say Why Manager, Library Workers Are Gone

By Bob Small

The sleepy borough of Swarthmore made the internet pages of The Inquirer and MSN with the firing of borough manager Sean Halbom after just six months.

He was placed on administrative leave, Feb. 17.

Meanwhile, and probably unrelated, Scott Schumacher left his decades-long stint as Swarthmore Public Library children’s librarian.

And also terminated in February was long-term Swarthmore Library associate, Marnie Berkowitz.

No reasons were given for any of the actions.

Regarding Halbom, we reported on a possible violation of “the sunshine act.”

This is likely not intentional but it was the only miscue we know about regarding the position.

“Swarthmore Borough Council has had four managers in four years,” said Rob Jordan who chairs the Swarthmore Republican Committee. “It’s a crisis of leadership and a lack of competence in our council. They need to focus on things that truly matter to borough residents instead of distractions like gas-powered leaf blowers and forced composting.”

David Unkovic has been appointed interim borough manager.

Sudden staff shifts shake Swarthmore – The Swarthmorean (2026-

Resolution No. 19-2025 – swarthmorepa.org

Controversies At the 2026 Winter Olympics

By Bob Small

The 2026 Winter Olympics have been at the center of more contentious issues than the usual Figure Skating judging controversy.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskeyvech had a “helmet of remembrance” depicting athletes killed since Russia invaded his home country.” His accreditation was removed shortly before he was due to compete. His response was  “This is the price of our dignity.”

The IOC (International OlympicCommittee) rule 50 from 1975 says, in part that prohibited protests include  “gestures of a political nature, like a hand gesture or kneeling”. Heraskeyvich cited previous protests by Israeli skeleton racer Jared Firestone and US skater Maxim Naumov who did similar actions without repercussions. Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha had these words on her glove “Remembrance is not a violation”.

Meanwhile, the IOC chose to remember a very dark part of their past. The Berlin Games of 1936 are remembered for many events. On the American side, two racers who ran and won gold medals were Afro Americans Jessie Owens and Ralph Metcalfe. Meanwhile Jewish racers Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller were replaced by the US and did not compete. Of course, there would not be another Olympics until the Olympics resumed in 1948. In 1998, almost 60 years after these games, the Olympics acknowledged that both these men were victims of antisemitism. Since the Olympics saw fit to issue a 1936 T-shirt, could they not have also seen fit to honor all four of the above athletes on these T-shirts? Just asking.

Shakhtar Dometsk Soccer Club donated the value of a gold medal to Heraskeyvech’s foundation as a show of support.

Wait, there’s more. Russian athletes were awarded six slots to compete under their own flag, along with four Belarusian athletes. This led to an Ukrainian boycott Paralympics after Russian . “The European commissioner for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport, Glenn Micallef, “ also joined in the boycott.

There was also the usual figure skating judging controversy, but that is one of the lesser headlines on this year’s festivities.

See also.

OC Faces Criticism Over 1936 Berlin Games T-Shirt After …

Are People Leaving MAGA?

By Bob Small

If Breitbart says it is so, it must be a movement worth consideration and billboards have spouted in Pennsylvania urging the citizens to leave MAGA.

They can be seen in Hanover, Mechanicsburg, and York, with more to follow, possibly in Delco hotspots. such as Aston or Springfield.

Rich Logis, the founder of “Leaving MAGA” said is group will “provide an “exit ramp” for those in the MAGA community, offering them a “safe landing in a new community.” This almost sounds as though they’re ex-prisoners re-entering society.

Charlie Gerow, a GOP strategist, responded to the billboards by saying, “the good news is it simply isn’t working because Trump voters have swelled Republican ranks in recent days.”

For a personal statement from a Pennsylvanian Leaving MAGA – Leaving MAGA see the “Meet the people leaving MAGA” section of their website. Patty Ann Giles, from Pittsburgh, said she went through a period of Reaganism, seeing the Democratic Party as “amoral, too secular”, and she wanted that old-time religion. This nine-page reminisce traces her recovery from MAGA, which she left in 2021. The whole remembrance is worth the reading to understand someone who feels they need to be “deprogrammed” from the whole MAGA world.

Next, we come to a section titled “Solutions and Serenity: A Support Group for those affected by a loved one’s MAGA Affiliation, though the word affliction seemed to be waiting to be said. I’m surprised it isn’t MAGA Anonymous. Among what is taught is “how to disengage from outrage cycles without surrendering values”, among other activities. Nonviolence is also stressed as a necessity, possibly because we are, after all, dealing with MAGA and we know how they are.

The online facilitator for the above is Julianna Forlano, currently with WBAI Radio 99.5FM NYC, which is a member of Pacifica radio. You couldn’t get any lefter.

A GOP program similar WalkAway Campaign was censored by Facebook. Walk Away Campaign Was Censored By Facebook, Never Forget

Within the GOP, Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be one of a growing number leaving MAGA, but that’s a whole other discussion

See also Why Is Leaving MAGA So Difficult?

What is happening to our weather?

By Bob Small

What is happening to our weather? Is it global warming, which many believe? Is Thor angry, as the Vikings believed? Or is it something else we really don’t want to know about?

Could it possibly be the theory by one Dane Wigington that traces the root cause to government interference in our weather. See their global alert news for full details and accusations. This is another resource discovered under the aegis of the Bill of Rights Banquet.

Science Daily on the other hand, feels that the science supports climate change. They issue their articles a few times per month. They were discussing microplastics in January, for instance, which is a reality, though whether microplastics is the only culprit is up for discussion.

For a rather lengthy discussion of Dane Wigington and geoengineering, see Factually and search

“Who is Dane Wigington and his background in geoengineering advocacy?”. They do mention that “Wingington was once a skeptic who changed his views after independent investigation”. A Documentary is discussed below.

Further on, one Tucker Carlson enters into the conversation. This article enters into the belief system of “conspiracy theories” without acknowledging that, if you grew up in “assassination times” such as the 1960’s for instance, you might truly believe that there were conspiracies, albeit unproveable. Many of us have grown up in what may justly be called “conspiracy times”, with less, currently, in the way of outright assassinations.

Dane Wigington created the full length Climate Engineering Documentary The Dimming, Full Length Climate Engineering . which can be viewed on You Tube

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Who is This Tina Peters?

By Bob Small

Tina Peters has become the most famous graduate of the (non-credited) Clayton College of Natural Health. The former Mesa County, CO County Clerk (2029-23) was convicted in August 2024 of seven charges, four of them felonies. She was sentenced to nine years in prison for her role in what was ruled election fraud.

Her case has become a cause celeb. I came across her name in the resource section of the 2025 Bill of Rights Banquet program”

Tina Peters says she’s a political prisoner and that “Her imprisonment is not just about her—it’s an attack on anyone daring to question the status quo.”

She refers us to American Rights Alliance | Defending the Free Speech.

There’s a number of issues brought up in the media. The most important may be what the State of Colorado redacted from one of her letters from federal Prison.

Keep in mind that Tina Peters was convicted in a state court. Therefore, a pardon from President Donald Trump would not apply. However, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, while not discussing the correctness of her conviction, mentioned he was considering clemency due to age and the harshness of her punishment. Many states are trying to release older non-violent prisoners, worrying about medical costs, etc,. She has a parole hearing in September 2028.

The Colorado Attorney General said “The court’s decision was based on its determination that Ms. Peters used her position as an elected official to promote the allegations and fuel controversy about the reliability of elections” and opposes any clemency.

There’s the added question of whether Tina Peters was the perpetrator or the victim in a recent “prison incident”. Read the article and judge for yourself.

See also Colorado AG accuses Trump of ‘revenge campaign’ for …

Will Larry Krasner FAFO?

By Bob Small

Larry Krasner, the pugnacious Philadelphia DA, created FAFO (Fight against Federal Overreach), which also aligns with the acronym F____ Aound and Find Out.

One viewpoint comes from Ramin Fatehi, a Commonwealth Attorney from Norfolk, VA said “I’d rather that they know that they’re coming at a hard target than a soft one.”

Besides our Larry, who dubbed ICE agents “wannabe Nazis”, others in this coalition are Mary Moriarity, Hennepin County Attorney (Minneapolis), along with an Attorney from Arizona, two DA’s from Texas, and four Attorneys from Virginia. This was as of January 28^th. Krasner also said he was sure that “the president is without the power to pardon people who are convicted in state court.”

Mary Moriarity also said “The rule of law depends on accountability”. She added . “When people believe that law enforcement faces no consequences, trust in the justice system erodes.”

Krasner went further by saying “It used to be, you could rely on the federal government to rein in rogue sheriffs who are killing people on the side of the road, but now the federal government are the rogue sheriffs.”

By now, some may be ready to toss tea into Boston Harbor if they believe Krasner’s heated rhetoric.

But where do the Feds get their powers? These enumerated powers “which include the authority to coin money, establish post offices, declare war, and raise and support armies. “ Federalism gets quoted here, and we’ll return to that at the end of this article.

Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro completely disagrees..

In a Fox News Interview, he was quoted as saying “That kind of rhetoric is unacceptable, it is abhorrent, and it is wrong — period, hard stop, end of sentence.”

Lastly, Michael Boldin, is a Tenth Amendment specialist, / is the founder of the Tenth Amendment Center. See what he says in my article and on his website and see if you agree or disagree.

See also DEFIANCE.org | Defy Trump, Together

The Chesco Site for information

By Bob Small

This is part of a continuing series on resources listed on the program for last December 15 Bill of Rights Banquet.

Though many people are aware of ChescoUnited: Home, not everyone may be aware of their programs. F

Chesco United is a network of freedom-loving patriots, working every day to preserve and advance the quality of life for the citizens of Chester County, Pennsylvania, as per its mission statement.

There’s also a section on the Chester County Election Integrity report for previous years.

One way they do this is by presenting their Keystone Town Hall series of Forums, whose slogan is “We focus on facts first”. Keystone describes itself as “ a nonpartisan, independent community that discusses the critical issues of our time and takes action to address the issues affecting ourselves and our families. “

Their next forum is Jan. 27 in Annville. In December, they presented a series celebrating Trumps second term at its Malvern home Desmond Hotel .

Some previous events included “Are Voting Machines Secure, Battle of Eagle Pass, Free Flights for Illegal Aliens?, IS WW3 Knocking at our door?, More Tax on Small Business?, Pennsylvania’s Budget balloons to $51.5 Billion!, Squatter Enterprise, Tough Love: A Necessary “Evil”, and “A Walk in Kensington” featuring four Kensington Community leaders.

Keystone Town Hall presents The Conservative Voice on WWDB 860 am. Currently, the voices are Felice Fein, Chris Glover, Gary Heasley, John Allante McAuuley, Ada Nestor, and Mina Quarles. They can be found on Apple Podcasts, Facebook, and You Tube, among others,

Under the call to action section,they note “Self-governance requires us to know and understand the Constitution, and to stay informed about federal, state, and local laws as they are being written and voted on by our representatives “.

Are Newspapers Yesterday?

By Bob Small

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a Newspaper almost as old as the US (dob 1786) will print its last issue on May 3.

Pittsburgh will become the first city of its size without a daily newspaper. Block Communications cited losses of $350 million.

One backstory is the PPG’s refusal to honor a NLRB (National Labor Relation Board) ruling. According to Andrew Goldstein, President of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, “Instead of simply following the law, the owners chose to punish local journalists and the city of Pittsburgh.”

Concurrently,the Pittsburgh City Paper has also ceased operations.

Industry reaction has been sharp. Neil Brown, President of Poynter opined that “the situation in Pittsburgh has been a tumultuous hot mess for years, and the erratic nature of the ownership family in grappling with its labor issues has been well documented.” And Jeff Jarvis, Director (emeritus), Tow Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, stated “Political ideology and a lack of strategic foresight and vision got in the way, and now another great city is one paper poorer.”

Tracing the recent history of closings we read that  the U.S. has lost about  40 percent of its local newspapers . Not everyone is online but most of us can travel to our local Wawa for a Delco Times, along with a coffee and pastry of choice.

According to one survey, roughly 12 percent of the public lived in households without internet access in 2023. This limits not only how and where you get your news, but how you can check its reliability.

Other papers that have flown the way of the dodo are The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Tampa Tribune

Co-pilot and other AI sources cited other Pennsylvania papers that have closed in the last five years include Clinton County Record,The Easton Express-Times, the Middletown Press and Journal, the Titusville Herald and The Upper Dauphin Sentinel .

Saving the American Family

By Bob Small

The AFA (American Family Association) was one of the groups listed on last year’s Bill of Rights brochure.

The AFA was founded in 1987 in Tupelo, MS. (Birthplace of Elvis, see below).

This group raises the nettlesome question of what constitutes a family and who gets to define it. Their definition is heterosexual and traditional. For an opposing viewpoint, see Dykes to Watch Out For. Or is the argument merely “equal rights versus special rights”? One way to discern opinions on this is to review the AFA statement of purpose and their six examples.

The Boycott has been a tool for decades.Walker Wildmon, a descendant of the founder, feels it’s part of AFA’s mission to restore America’s morals. AFA says America’s morals have been in steep decline ever since the 1960s. 

However, some boycotts have the opposite effect.” Writer Neil Gaiman  thanked AFA “for its help to get the word out about his 2022  Lucifer series, which exceeded 18 billion streaming minutes on Netflix. “

Walker feels companies should remain “neutral” rather than promoting any viewpoint.

Robert Chmbers, a former AFA VP sued the AFA for “alleged sexual harassment and financial irregularities”.The case was terminated in August 2025 without details being made public.

Large Institutions have problems dealing with controversial topics, especially artistic. Then Temple Student Michael Marcavage tried to counter the effects of a production of Corpus Christie with a production of Final Destiny. All hell broke loose, and you’ll have to read the article for the full impact. I’d like to see them both but only Corpus Christie is available online (Youtube).

This is from 2014, so some of these facts may have changed. 10 Shocking Facts About the American Family Association

This is just one of many other lawsuits, Wojnarowicz v. American Family Association – Artist Right The Artist in question won this one.

We visited the birthplace of Elvis in Tupelo in one of our jaunts down south. We urge everyone to visit at least once.

I would probably feel violated if I knew one of the men changing next to me at the Y had been born female.