Category: Bob Small

Anti-War Rally Shows New Alliances On Both Sides

Anti-War Rally Shows New Alliances On Both Sides

By Bob Small

“I get what they are saying: ‘Hey, I want to stop nuclear war, but not with those people’.” — Jimmy Dore

The Feb. 19  “Rage Against the War Machine” demonstration in Washington, DC, was a unique blend of  viewpoints of different speakers, some of whose only shared belief is an anti-war stance. A few of the more well-known speakers were Tulsi Gabbard, Dennis Kucinich, Dr. Ron Paul, Dr. Jill Stein, Chris Hedges, and Roger Waters.

A complete speaker list can be found here and be aware of the subtexts of the speakers.

The Daily Beast covered one of the five total counter-protestors

The Militant, (the Socialist Workers Party), was pro Ukraine  and against the rally.  Militant editor John Studer went to Kyiv in 2014 and was pro Mauidan.

Amanda Moore of the Turtle Diaries seemed upset that she even had to cover this rally, let alone try to be objective.

The New American included a quote from Dennis Kucinich: “Our country used to lead the world in producing steel, cars and ships. Now we lead the world in making enemies.”

Rainer Shea refers to a time when “the US empire vanishes altogether” and to “a post-American world”.

Cara Castronuova is a co-founder of Citizens Against Political Persecution (CAPP) who lists the 10 demands of the rally. She ends her article with a quote from Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”).

The Patriotic Socialist Front thought the rally was a “fantastic success”. 

Hopefully we’ll create peace in Ukraine as gracefully as we left Afghanistan. That was sarcasm.

The final words are from my friend and fellow Swarthmorean Carol Kennedy, who attended the rally.

“One thing I loved about it was that it brought together people who oppose unnecessary wars and the military-industrial complex despite their other political differences.”

Anti-War Rally Shows New Alliances On Both Sides

No Surprises In The 35th District

No Surprises In The 35th District

By Bob Small

The last of the Feb 7  special elections held no surprises, except for just how poorly the GOP had done in them. The 35th State House District required a special election after Austin Davis resigned to become the first African-American lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.

Matthew Gergely earned a whopping 88.6 percent of the vote (3,237 votes) to Republican Donald Nevills , who earned only 11.4 percent% (424 votes). When he ran in the 2022 election, Nevills secured 33.8 percent of the vote.

Gergely served as McKeesport’s city administrator and finance director. He also served as a McKeesport Area School District official. His brother Marc previously served as the House Rep but resigned due to his connections to illegal gambling operations.

Matthew said he will fight for fair funding for the public schools. It should be noted that taxes for Mckeesport School District were raised repeatedly during his tenure as city administrator and finance director. 

Nevills served 14 years in the US Navy. He’s been a small businessman in Pittsburgh, running a tattoo parlor, which he says closed due to covid restrictions.

After that happened, Nevills and his wife Paula opened Cotton Candy City in Clairton.

Don has served in many municipal positions, most recently on the Board of Directors of the Clairton Municipal Authority.

His externsive campaign web site lists 10 platform issues, including constitutional rights, covid mandates, infrastucture problems, and worker shortages. I suggest that you try to review this web site before he takes it down.

And this YouTube  interview.

There are 14 towns in the 35th District, including Duquesne and McKeesport. All the former representatives have been Democrats, with two serving almost 50 years (1979-2017) — namely, Marc Gergeley and Thomas A. Michlovic.

The February 7th election was the last scheduled special election, until the next ones are scheduled under the new State House Speaker Democrat Joanna McClinton.

No Surprises In The 35th District
No Surprises In The 35th District

34th District Is Safe For Dems

34th District Is Safe For Dems

By Bob Small

When Democrat Abigail Salisbury won the special election for the 34th Pennsylvania State House District, previously held by Summer Lee (who is now in the U.S. Congress), she became the second openly bisexual candidate to be elected in Harrisburg. There are now six openly LGBTQ state representatives in Harrisburg, and they belong to the LGBTQ Equality Caucus.

Abigail Salisbury won 10,068 votes (87.7 % of the vote) to Robert Pagane’s 1,404 votes (12.3% of the total). This result had been expected. 

Born in Ohio, Abigail Salisbury attended Case Western Reserve University for her undergraduate degree and received her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She was endorsed by Clean Water Action, Planned Parenthood, and various labor unions.

Among other things, Salisbury initiated her own low-cost law practice for nonprofits and small businesses in Swissvale. One of her major priorities has been to reduce the time it takes for a new business to acquire its business license. (She says it takes 2.5 months.)

Robert Pagane graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy in 1989. He has been affiliated with the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Police Work Dog Association.

Now retired, Pagane spent 30 years as a police officer, five of them in the city of Pittsburgh and 13 as a K-9 handler.

Three key messages of his campaign were to make the streets safe, to lessen the tax burden on the elderly, and to fight on behalf of his constituents to raise his district “from the ashes”. He believes that businesses will return when the streets are safe.

PA House District 34 is in Allegheny County and includes Braddock, 12 other towns, and sections of Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania House of Representative

The two Democrats who served as state representatives prior to Summer Lee (Paul Costa and Ronald R. Cowell) served a total of almost 45 years, from 1975 to 2019.

34th District Is Safe For Dems
34th District Is Safe For Dems

Casey Fetterman Conundrum

Casey Fetterman Conundrum

By Bob Small

What is now seen as a “medical condition”? Is it no longer purely physical? Does it now include “clinical depression” and other purely mental conditions? Evidently so, and it’s been a long time coming. If a mental condition has the same incapacitating effect as a physical condition, then how should it not be considered just as serious? I was on leave from my job for about six months in 1997, due to triple bypass surgery. Would I have been granted the same kind of paid or non-paid leave if I had had some form of depression? 

Sen. John Fetterman did.

“John is doing exactly what he should do, which is seek help” said Minnesota Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn), who has been public about her battles with depression. She went on to say “Seeking help when you need it is a sign of strength”.

So let’s agree that anyone who needs mental-health care should feel free to seek it, without stigma or retribution.

However, should his or her job, especially if s/he is an elected official, be held open indefinitely? During the period when Pennsylvania’s senior senator, Bob Casey of the Pennsylvania Casey dynasty, was being treated for prostate cancer, the same questions arose.

According to the Pew Research Center, Pennsylvania is among the majority of states that permit the governor to name a US Senate replacement in the event of a resignation, death or expulsion. The last of Pennsylvania’s five appointed senators was Harris Wofford, who was named to replace John Heinz.

In Pennsylvania a special election is held “when someone in office can no longer serve”, according to PA.gov.

According to BipartisanPolicy.org  “no sitting member of Congress has ever been replaced for incapacitation”. However, if there were to be a resignation, Gov. Shapiro would choose the successor.

According to the Washington Post, “the hospitalization doesn’t necessarily say anything about his future status,” said Will Cronenwett, Chief of General Psychiatry at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

There has been some fear expressed in various quarters about the choice the governor might make were Fetterman to resign. The name of Gisele Fetterman has come up, for one.

In conclusion, unless there is a resignation,  we are engaging in meaningless speculation about what comes next for him and for the state.

Casey Fetterman Conundrum

32nd District Race Went As Expected

32nd District Race Went As Expected

By Bob Small

The Feb. 7 special election in the 32nd Pennsylvania House District went as was expected in the solidly Democratic district.

Democrat Joe McAndrew received 74.9% of the vote (9,515), while Republican Clay Walker received only 25.9% of the vote (3,185).

McAndrew is a former executive director of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, and has served as chair of the Penn Hills Democratic Committee. A graduate of the University of Dayton, he was endorsed for this race by Clean Water Action and Planned Parenthood, among other organizations.

Walker, of Verona, works as a health-care customer representative. He is better known as the pastor of Monroeville’s Mustard Seed Church. He calls himself a conservative on criminal rights and gun rights. He is a University of Pittsburgh graduate and a US Army veteran, and this is his first run for office.

The 32nd District covers four areas of Allegheny County. Anthony M. Deluca was its longest serving representative (1983-2022). He died in office on Oct. 9

HB 2104 Limits Electric Rate Hikes

Does New Battle For House Speaker Loom In Pennsylvania?

Does New Battle For House Speaker Loom In Pennsylvania?

By Bob Small

Before we attempt to answer the title question, let’s give some (convoluted) history. Because there were three vacant Pennsylvania House seats (one due to a death and the others due to people having attained higher offices), the Democratic majority was challenged, of 102 seats to the Republicans’ 101 seats.

All three special elections were in Democratic Allegheny County, which voted for Joe Biden by more than 15 points. Unless there had been an upset, these seats would remain in Democratic hands.

Now, under Pennsylvania law, the majority leader schedules special elections. Democratic leader Joanna McClinton  said she became majority leader on Dec. 7 because the Democrats won more districts on Nov. 8. However, there was a competing majority leader; Republican Bryan Cutler says he became majority leader on Dec. 12. Lawsuits followed, as tends to happen. On Jan. 13, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court decided that all three elections should take place on Feb. 7.

Democrat Mark Rozzi was elected Speaker of the House, as a compromise candidate with a vote of 115 to 85. On Jan. 5, he affirmed Feb 7 as the date for the District 34 and District 35 elections. Both sides had previously agreed on Feb 7 for the District 32 elections.

“Clear as mud”, as a former teacher of mine used to say. See the Ballotpedia article for further clarification.

The speaker battle is now between the Democrats McClinton and Rozzi.

Further details can be found here.

Since the Pennsylvania Democrats control the House, and the Pennsylvania GOP controls the Senate, we will either have compromise or we will have stalemate.

The Democrats, theoretically (unless there’s another change), can set the state house agenda for the first time since 2010. 

Stay tuned for further developments.

Does New Battle For House Speaker Loom In Pennsylvania?

Create Your Own Independence Day; Run For Office

Create Your Own Independence Day; Run For Office

By Bob Small

Feb. 14 is Create Your Own Independence Day.

Besides being Valentine’s Day of course.

Tuesday is the first day this year to circulate petitions for Democrat or Republican candidates including those who are running independent of their  Party’s nominating process.

The petitions will be collected on March 7.

In municipal elections, the signature requirement can be minimal.  In our little borough of Swarthmore, only 10 signatures are required for Borough Council.  As always, one should collect three times as many for the expected challenge.

What it means is that there would be challenges in the May 16 Primary election.  There could possibly  even be debates, certainly social media discussions.  The alternative is one-party towns where the incumbents may not have any incentive to listen to the voice of the people.

One can get further information at one’s local county Board of Elections.

As a citizen, you have the right to create your own Independence by choosing candidates rather than having them chosen for you.

Create Your Own Independence Day; Run For Office

Giving Ilhan Omar Her Due

Giving Ilhan Omar Her Due

By Bob Small

Some of my best Jewish friends are convinced Ilhan Omar is the Devil. Some others are convinced Benjamin Netanyahu is playing that role. Maybe it comes down to whose politics provide the best opportunity for Israel’s long-term existence: the unelected representatives of J Street and Jewish Currents, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

For clarification, I’m a non-practicing person of Judaic heritage, who was Bar Mitzva’ed and considers himself most closely aligned with the politics of Jewish Currents.

Just as an African-American friend of mine used to say, “I didn’t vote for the NAACP to represent me,” I’ll opine that “I didn’t vote for AIPAC to represent me”. 

To state my views very briefly, I feel that Israel is becoming a version of colonialist South Africa, which is not a good omen for that country’s continued life expectancy. My feeling is that Israel should be a democracy open to all its citizens, even the Arab ones.

Maybe we should start with what Ilhan Omar actually said. Not what she is alleged to have said,  but the actual words she used.

Giving Ilhan Omar Her Due

Omar criticized  AIPAC, and with good reason, saying that AIPAC was donating money to federal lawmakers for their votes, and Tweeted that “it’s all about the Benjamins.”

Now, the phrase “it’s all about the Benjamins” is from a Puff Daddy song.

The lyrics refer to people doing things for money. We can only assume that our congresspersons would never peddle their influence for money.

Another quote that got Omar into trouble was: “We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan and the Taliban.

As great as this country can be, we have also committed a long list of atrocities: our treatment of the native Americans, Slavery, and the Japanese internment camps to name only a few. The difference between the U.S. and the others cited above is that we, at least,  own up to our failings. Again, there was nothing wrong in what she said, though she could have added Great Britain, Germany, and all the 19th-century European colonial powers.

Peter Beinart, of Jewish Currents, quotes Ilhan Omar discussing “the moral authority the United States carries on the world stage when we stand up for human rights”.

Here are some pro- and anti-Omar articles, published in both Israel and the U.S. Read them and decide for yourself.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366912

https://news.yahoo.com/vote-against-ilhan-omar-does-201013228.html

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/ilhan-omar-committee-vote-gop/

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/36444

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/eric-swalwell-slams-house-gop-for-moving-against-ilhan-omar-after-supporting-the-openly-anti-semitic-kanye-west/ar-AA172oZn

The vote against Ilhan Omar does a disservice to Jews – and the fight against antisemitism

Giving Ilhan Omar Her Due

Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos

Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos

By Bob Small

Swarthmore Council’s meeting began at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30 and continued to 2 a.m. the next day.

Although 90 percent of those in attendance at the packed Park Avenue Community Center (PAC) spoke against the demolition of 110 Park Ave. to make way for a multi-floor condo in the heart of Swarthmore, their statements and visual presentations did not sway council’s from approving the demolition by 4-2 vote. One SBC member was absent. The vote closed the meeting by whic h time the original crowd of approximately 100 had dwindled to a hard-core 20.

Most speakers felt that the developers were tearing down a historical building to build an unnecessary condominium. The developers have suggested the project presents a net gain for Swarthmore because it will add both density and “vibrancy” to the town. However this density means more municipal services will be required, possibly leading to higher taxes and more complexity. 

Similar benefits were touted touted with the promotion of  the Broad Table Tavern whose  benefits have been debatable.

The year 2023 is for municipal elections in Pennsylvania, and three of the council seats on Swarthmore Council are up for a vote. If you are interested in becoming a member of council, please consult the county election web site. 

Petitions to place independent Democratic, or Republican candidates on the primary ballot will be circulated from Feb. 14  to March 7. Be prepared to collect at least three times the required number of signatures, as the Democratic and Republican “machines” will try to challenge and knock off any independent Democratic or Republican candidates. Also, be prepared to make both friends and enemies.

Swarthmore is a one-horse town and a blue one at that. A tradition has developed that the uncontested primary serves as the general election, as the GOP avoids running candidates, even though each party needs but 10 signatures to place a candidate on the primary ballot.

Maybe there are other boroughs and towns where the elected officials have ignored the public’s wishes. Maybe the public might want to consider “unelecting “ their current officials?

Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos
Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos

Shapiro Wants His Secrets Secret

Shapiro Wants His Secrets Secret

By Bob Small

Due to the inability of our new governor, Josh Shapiro, to participate in any pre-election debates — he ran unopposed in the Primary and neither his campaign nor Doug Mastriano’s Campaign could agree on the details of a proposed debate– there were some unasked questions. One question he would of answered with a resounding no! would have been “will you disclose your inaugural donors.”

According to Philadelphia Metro, the Gubernator is not  legally required to disclose this information.

Whereas New York City and Philadelphia, along adjoining New Jersey, and Maryland and Virginia have such laws.   Aaron McKean, a lawyer who works for the DC-based Campaign Legal Center says “The whole goal here is to prevent corruption or even (my ital)  the appearance of corruption.”

He went on to say “Nobody is giving this money just for fun.”

Shapiro Wants His Secrets Secret
Man of many secret donors

Because Governor Shapiro’s inaugural committee was organized as a 501 (c) (4) he is not required to disclose the donor information. Many local arts organizations have been formed as a 501 c (3) and the law requires they must account for every dollar.  In a previous life, I was one of the persons who made these budgets match.  A big difference between a 3 and a 4.

Spotlight Pa has a great deal to say about Shapiro’s Secrecy.  I urge you to read the whole seven pages. Spotlight Pa. is a non-partisan newsroom connected with The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Patriot -News and other newspapers.y

Did you know that Shapiro asked his team to sign NDAs?

Pennsylvania’s previous governors, Corbett and Wolf released the name of private donors.

Meanwhile, The University of Delaware’s Biden Institute will not disclose its donors since Joe Biden became President.

Though this article is over a year old, there doesn’t seem to be any changes.

And yes, we do know who the corporate donors to President Trump were.

Shapiro Wants His Secrets Secret