Category: Bob Small

Privacy Concerns Aired About Swarthmore Security Cameras

Privacy Concerns Aired About Swarthmore Security Cameras

By Bob Small

In July and August, Swarthmore Borough Council cuts its meetings to once a month from two in July and August.

Due to our 2024 Covid, this post is based on the YouTube feed of council’s July 8 meeting The Swarthmorean article from July 12.

We begin with the Environment Committee. Chairman David Boonin, having realized that both sides had issues with the stalled combustion-powered outdoor maintenance equipment proposal, has embarked on a “listening tour” and has even floated the idea of a referendum. Imagine!. Citizens voting on a policy! I sent him an approving e-mail.

During the Finance Committee segment, Chairman Steve Karp instructed the public to pay with the tan copy of the tax bill, as the green copy is incorrect. Maybe we should increase the pay of our civil servants so they send out the right copies the first time.

Janna Garland of the General Government Committee had the difficult task of justifying the purchase and installation of security cameras in downtown Swarthmore. This is so we can catch the miscreants who vandalized our rainbow crosswalks.

Councilmember Scarlett McCahill spoke for many of us.

“Any potential benefits in public safety are outweighed by the potential challenges to privacy, civil liberty, and the sense of welcome and care we’re trying to create,” she said.

Mayor Marty Spiegel, wondered if those in the public square “have an expectation to privacy”.

It won’t bother me. I’ll just wear my Joe Biden mask.

Ms. McCahill, who chairs the Planning and Zoning Committee approved the use of “permitting campaign offices as a permitted temporary use in the Town Center District.”

Public Safety Chairwoman Kristen Seymore discussed the Swarthmore Fire Department joint request for proposal with the Nether Providence Fire Department. She said if there was a house fire “you really don’t want-per mutual aid, six different fire trucks, with guys who don’t know each other and haven’t worked together, showing up to put out your house fire,”

And Borough Manager Bill Webb explained that three entities wanted council to favor their position in front of the Swarthmore Zoning Hearing Board.

After much discussion, it was agreed that all the would be referred to zoning hearing without council taking a position.

Privacy Concerns Aired About Swarthmore Security Cameras

Going Forth On The 2nd

Going Forth On The 2nd

By Bob Small

John Adams believed, July 2, was the date to be celebrated as “ the great anniversary festival.” This was because July 2 was the date that delegates at the second Continental Congress meeting approved a meeting for independence. It was approved by 12 of the 13 colonies.

The New York delegation had to abstain as they did not have the necessary permission to vote from their state.

From his letter to his wife Abigail written on July 3, “It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations “

July 4 was the date of the adoption, though not signed, by members of the Continental Congress.

However, not until July 8 did Philadelphia hold a parade and the firing of guns in celebration of the moment.

The Declaration of Independence was not signed by any of the delegates until early August, after  “being engrossed on parchment by Timothy Matlack, a Philadelphia beer bottler who had fine penmanship ”

Fifty-six delegates eventually signed it.

For information on viewing the Declaration of Independence and other documents locally, see Museum of the American Revolution.

Historian Pauline Maier, in her 1997 book, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence said that in early July 1777 that there had been almost a year since they declared their independence from the British

Maier also said that “arguments over the how to celebrate the Declaration arose between the Federalists (of John Adams) and the Republicans (of Thomas Jefferson) and that the Declaration and its anniversary day weren’t widely celebrated until the Federalists faded away from the political scene after 1812. “

See also, from across the pond: John Adams was right, July 2nd is really America’s …

History, as they say, is “written by the victors” or, in this case, the last on the field.

Will future historians pontificate on the first Trump term versus the second Trump term.?

Going Forth On The 2nd

Going Forth On The 2nd

The Fugitive Goes Home

The Fugitive Goes Home

By Bob Small

This is good Independence Day story. The world’s longest-running real-life fugitive saga is finally over. Journalist Julian Assange left the U.K.’s Belmarsh Prison, June 24, to accept plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents in the US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. He was sentenced to time served and granted his freedom.

Thanks to my friend, Carol of Swarthmore, for sending me this Hugo Black quote: “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

Many world leaders have expressed joy for the decision and praise for Assange.

Anthony Albanese, prime minister of Assange’s Australia stated  “There is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia.”

Prime Minister Lula Da Silva of Brazil, a bit more left than Albanese, said Assange’s  “release and return home, albeit belatedly, represent a democratic victory and the fight for press freedom.”

And there were officials, especially in the US, who were definitely displeased, though.

“Julian Assange endangered the lives of our troops in a time of war and should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said former Vice President Mike Pence.

“Never a ‘journalist.’ Never. He did irreparable harm. He endangered lives,” said former Assistant FBI Director Frank Fibliuzzi.

Trump-era CIA director Mike Pompeo who called Assange’s WikiLeaks a “nonstate hostile intelligence service”

Sheila Assange, who married Assange in prison that the British Labor government would not have extradited Assange if they take over the U.K.’s government on July 5.

And there is a dark lining in the silver cloud.

“The US Dept of Justice still holds the Espionage Act over journalists worldwide,” said John Simpson of the BBC.

“It will still hang over the heads of national security reporters for years to come,” said Seth Stern, director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

“We all still live under a globe-spanning power structure which has shown the entire world that it will destroy your life if you expose its criminality,” said journalist Caitlin Johnstone.

Luckily, as a local blogger, we don’t worry about . . .

The Fugitive Goes Home

The Fugitive Goes Home

Swarthmore Environmental Committee Spikes Lawnmower Ban

Swarthmore Environmental Committee Spikes Lawnmower Ban

By Bob Small

Just a handful of citizens attended the June 26 Swarthmore Environmental Committeee Meeting to hear it declare it was not ready to move the proposed lawnmower ban forward at July’s meeting.

Actually, the proposed ordinance would ban all combustion-powered outdoor maintenance equipment (CPOME ). Battery-powered and electric devices remain legal.

Citizens overwhelmingly came out against it at the June 10 borough council meeting causing council to table it and return it to the environmental committee.

The proposed ban would have been the first in Pennsylvania, and received extensive coverage in local media.

Back to the important things in life like the Phillies.

Swarthmore Environmental Committee Spikes Lawnmower Ban

PSL Presidential Ticket Faces Philly Scandal

PSL Presidential Ticket Faces Philly Scandal

By Bob Small

During my time with Democracy Unplugged and our alternative presidential candidate forums, one political party that always sent articulate candidates was the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). They are still on point in their participation and have a debate scheduled for July 12.

 The PSL was founded in 2006 by a breakaway faction of the communist revolutionary wing of the Workers World Party and espouses a pro-Cuba/pro-China view. It has branches in 35 states.

Their presidential candidate this year is Claudia De la Cruz who has masters degrees in social work, from Columbia University, and divinity, from Union Theological Seminary.

She is the founder of Da Urban Butterflies which honors the three Mirabel sisters martyred under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. She has also served as pastor of NYC’s Santo Romero de Los Americas Church (UCC).

For the PSL Program, see Claudia & Karina 2024.

This year’s PSL platform includes seizing the 100 biggest US corporations and seven other impossibilities. They proposed revolution over election.

Vice Presidential candidate Karina Garcia is the founder of the Justice Center on El Barrio in NYC.

Like many political parties, there are the lesser known incidents. This document is subtitled “concealment and corruption in the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Philadelphia Branch”. It details allegations of a sexual nature against a Stephen P. of the Philadelphia Branch.

The whole 15 pages make fascinating reading but the one item that bothered me is that these allegations were brought to the PSL’s national committee but never to Philadelphia Police or the district attorney. My week-old email to our PSL local remains unanswered but one supposes creating a revolution is a full-time job.

Among the other organizations that are part and parcel of the PSL are; ANSWER Coalition Hom; Breaking the Chains and Liberation News

The Philadelphia branch is reachable through philly@pslweb.org or 267-281-3859.

PSL Presidential Ticket Faces Philly Scandal

PSL Presidential Ticket Faces Philly Scandal

DACA Foxes In The Police Hen House

DACA Foxes In The Police Hen House

By Bob Small

It’s rare when The Daily Mail (UK) focuses on the internal workings of a US City but a recent story concerns Seattle’s plan to use illegal migrants to bolster its depleted police force.

It’s encouraged via a law signed by Democrat Governor Jay Inslee in February that those who speak more than one language can be chosen above an equally qualified candidate.

The legislation took effect, June 6.

And the The US Justice Department now lets  DACA recipients have firearms and ammunition as part of their official law enforcement officer duties.

Meanwhile, former Lieutenant Jessica Taylor, who resigned after almost a quarter of a century, sent a letter to Police Chief Adrian Diaz, saying “Your controlling, bullying, and gaslighting tendencies have wreaked havoc on this department, driving away talented and dedicated officers,

“On May 29, Diaz resigned amid charges of sexual harassment and racial discrimination. He was later to “come out” as a gay man.

DACA police are also being hired in California and Chicago.

According to state officials, “Washington is home to more than 14,000 DACA recipients, and “Dreamers” canhelp ease Seattle’s cop shortage.

DACA recipients are also considering allowing the DACA recipients to become county deputies, fish and wildlife officers, and Seattle firefighters.

In April, Seattle’s KTTH am station, had a report, from Jason Rantz, that alleged that the police were at a staffing level not seen in almost 70 years.

The Seattle PD has advertised for DACA recipients on Linkedin! Seattle Police recruiting DACA recipients to be cops.

It can be considered the fox guarding the en house never seemed so apt.

This has yet to be discussed by either Delaware County Council of Philadelphis there may soon be a market for the newly formed SSL (Spanish as a second language) classes. At least certain phrases in Spanish such as as “I have an alibi”, “it was my identical twin” or “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it”.

Note; Thanks to Scott from Vermont.

Constitution Party Nominees Don’t Make It Easy To Keep A Promise

Constitution Party Nominees Don’t Make It Easy To Keep A Promise

By Bob Small

For the many years that we were involved trying to get nomination petition signatures, we fought the Democratic party challenges to our Green Party candidates. Many of us also joined with The Constitution and Libertarian Parties in their challenges, either in Harrisburg or Philly.

PaBac Ballot Access Coalition was the result of this cooperation. Our unspoken promise, also, was, that if our particular party did not get on the ballot, we would vote for either of the other two Parties who were on the ballot, no matter the candidate. Some years, it’s a big ask.

The Constitution Party of Pennsylvania declares itself to be predicated on the following three documents; The Bill of Rights, The Constitution of the United State, and The Declaration of Independence, which we all support. Some of us might question some of their affiliated groups, such as the John Birch Society and the Oath Keepers. However this also applies to the Greens and Libertarians.

On their website they quote Dwight D. Eisenhower: Every step we take toward making the state the caretaker of our lives, by that much we move toward making the state our masters.

The Constitution Party is divided into six regions with Troy Bowman representsing the Southeast Region.

In 2024, they chose Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, as their presidential candidate . He has a lengthy arrest record for both violent and non-violent protests.

Operation Rescue’s motto was “If you believe abortion is murder, then you must act like it is murder” — implying that violence against abortion providers and staff was justified.

This is rather like a later day John Brown trying to bring people to Harper’s Ferry. That said, one has to admire his consistency, if not agree with all his tactics.

Randall Terry has a masters degree in Foreign Relations and Islamic Studies

The Vice-presidential Candidate is Afro-American Pastor Stephen Broden of Texas. He has a Masters of Arts in Communication from Michigan and a Masters of Arts in Bible Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a fervent Pro-Life advocate.

Maybe the Green Party will get their candidate on the ballot this year.

Constitution Party Nominees Don't Make It Easy To Keep A Promise

Constitution Party Nominees Don’t Make It Easy To Keep A Promise

When Causes Collide

When Causes Collide

By Bob Small

While we can support equal — albeit not extraordinary — rights for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual, and for Transsexuals and their right to have public events, we also support Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups having a public presence. The problem comes when, as has recently happened, one group invades the other’s space.

On Sunday, June 2, the annual Philadelphia Gay Pride Parade was well on its way when all heck broke loose. The specific group, (I am not making this up) is Queers for Palestine which is a definition of the word oxymoron.

One of the quoted but unnamed protesters said “pride celebrations have merely become a public relations instrument used by the state to divert public attention away from the configuration of violent, repressive policies and practices inflicted upon queer bodies worldwide”.

Another commentator said “The alliance was always an odd one because of rampant homophobia and violence towards LGBTQ residents of Gaza prior to the terror attacks on Israel.”

It wasn’t just Philly. Conflict happened in Boston, New York City and others others.

The first Gay Pride parade was in New York in 1970, not in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, in Israel,10,000 persons marched in Jerusalem’s annual Pride and Tolerance March, one third of last year’s total.

Netanel Shaler, executive director at Havruta, a military reservist was “on a special leave to participate.” Havruta is an LGBTQ group for those “with a religious leaning”.

According to Queer in the World Homosexual relations were legalized in Israel in 1988,” along with further measures.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, There still are laws, from the British Mandate time, forbidding any consensual homosexual acts”

Finally we end up with Mark Segal, (The Philadelphia Gay News), whom I’ve known for only 50 years, around poetry readings, protests, etc. Don’t allow anyone to stop your Pride for their agenda “YOU WILL NOT TAKE OUR PRIDE AWAY. “ He ends by saying about the disrupters “ Many in our community know about bullies. They now know what you are. “

When Causes Collide By Bob Small While we can support equal -- albeit not extraordinary -- rights for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual, and for Transsexuals and their right

Swarthmore Lawnmower Ban Proposal Causes Break-Out In Democracy

Swarthmore Lawnmower Ban Proposal Causes Break-Out In Democracy

By Bob Small

We’re not used to an outbreak of democracy in on- party Swarthmore, Pa. but it seems to be happening. There was tremendous opposition to the condo monstrosity at 110 Park Ave., now in the process of being built.

So on Monday night, June 10, when there was an overflow crowd at the Swarthmore Council legislative meeting, there was a bit of electricity in the air. Mostly everyone was there to comment on the proposed vote on ordinance 05-2024 CPOME which would ban combustion-powered outdoor maintenance equipment (CPOME ). Battery-powered and electric devices are allowable.

Twenty-five citizens commented on the ordinance with 60 percent against, and half of those for it demanding modifications. The British Parliament’s description of this would have been “a dog’s breakfast”.

Three of the anti-speakers were especially persuasive.

Rob M. Jordan, who chairs the Swarthmore Republican Committee, called this an ill-conceived “elitist and dictatorial policy.” He said that when this was first proposed last winter and Borough Manager Bill Webb was asked “how many complaints have come into his desk over two years about outdoor lawn equipment smell or noise he held up less than five fingers.

He add this is a “poorly drafted, unworkable resolution that is full of virtue signaling, but extremely short on quantifiable health output and beneficial effects to residents.” He facetiously, we think, said that Swarthmore might earn the title “Communist Borough of Swarthmore”.

Independent Democrat Neil Young said “The original proposed ban on yard equipment—lawnmowers, snow throwers, and more—was thankfully halted last month. But the legislation being forced through against significant public opposition remains  impractical, unnecessary, and unworkable “ He added “the proposed ban is a textbook case of poor governance”.

Matt Tirpak, long-time owner of Swarthmore’s two-decade old TLC Landscape Service explained how the new law would cause his expenses to rise which would cause his charges to increase.

The room was still packed when David Boonin, who chairs the Environment Committee, declared the ordinance will be tabled.

Council’s next meeting is Monday, July 8.

The Environment Committee meeting, where this may be on the agenda, is 7 p.m., June 24. Boonin asked that Swarthmore residents with opinions on it to contact him at dboonin@swarthmorepa.org

Swarthmore Lawnmower Ban Causes Break-Out In Democracy

Swarthmore Lawnmower Ban Causes Break-Out In Democracy

Reform Party Nominates RFKJ

Reform Party Nominates RFKJ

By Bob Small

We received an email, June 4, from the Reform Party of the United States that they had joined other “alternative” parties in nominating Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as their presidential candidate.

The Reform Party was formed by Ross Perot in 1995. In 2004 they nominated Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan in 2000.

Kennedy’s nomination by the Reform Party allows his campaign to raise “up to $48,000 per donor in Florida, six times as much as he could raise as in independent candidate.”

Kennedy cited the Reform Party’s motto, “it’s time to put people first”.

Other alternative parties that have nominated RFK, Jr. include California’s American Independent Party and Michigan’s Natural Law Party.

The Reform Party website has 15 separate items on their platform, many of which are worth reading They also state “It’s time to end the two-party system and return to government for the people”.

If only.

Kennedy has already gained ballot access in seven states; California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.

According to his campaign, they have sufficient signatures, to be on nine other states, barring the inevitable challenges. These are Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio. He’s already on the ballot in two of the “swing states”,

Michigan and Nevada. Pennsylvania has a deadline of Aug. 1 but, as they always say “All dates in this calendar are subject to change without notice.”

RFKJ says that Biden is worse for Democracy than Trump.

He also says Biden is spoiler for his campaign and calls for him to drop out.

We should add that there are now even RFK, Jr commercials on cable TV which we find truly amazing.

There is also a UK Reform Party, they way. , Reform UK, is a pro-Brexit, anti Covid-19 lockdown party whose most famous candidate, and leader, is one Nigel Farage, who will be standing for Parliament on their next general election, on July 4th, a date one would think the British would rather not remember.

Reform Party Nominates RFKJ

Reform Party Nominates RFKJ