Category: Bob Small

Democrats Running With Ridley Park Tax Explosion

Democrats Running With Ridley Park Tax Explosion

By Bob Small

As is our usual, we turned on Philly’s Fox 29 News, Dec. 28,  to get updated on the usual accidents, carjackings, robberies, and shootings in Delco, Philly, and Jersey.

However, the lead story took place at one of our neighboring, Ridley Park and it was from the borough council meeting.

It concerned the 17 percent tax hike required because money owed by Taylor Hospital were not being paid by it new owner, Prospect Medical Holdings.

This has has left a swath of destruction.

Ridley Park is known for being the home of Boeing Helicopter, and has a business district with many small businesses, a local High School and Library,. Like Swarthmore, it’s named after a place in England.  It’s solidly middle-class, a Swarthmore without the upperclass pretensions.

The Ridley Park Dems are making a big deal about this.

They said on Facebook, Dec. 27, Tomorrow the all Republican Borough Council will vote on a historic property tax increase for the residents of our Borough. This increase will purportedly cover 2 YEARS of Prospect Medical’s property tax bill.  Yes, they are asking you to pay Prospect’s bill in 2024, JUST IN CASE this private equity firm doesn’t. 

But here are the facts:

❌ the 2021 audit showed a DEFICIT of $507k. That is with Prospect Medical paying their property tax bill.

❌ the 2022 audit hasn’t been released yet even though it was due 4/1/2023

❌ For a list of other expenses from 2023 that contributed to this budget deficit, see the final attached budget that will be approved for 2024: https://ridleyparkborough.org/…/Final-Budget-2024-12.27…

The Ridley Park Republican Party is talking about Christmas decorating contests.

As I said with regard to Swarthmore, any time one party is in charge there is going to be things like this happening.

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Democrats Running With Ridley Park Tax Explosion
When you Google Ridley Park Republican Party — as we just did at 11:13 a.m., Jan. 1, 2024 — this is what you get. The GOP in Delco better start recruiting people who understand social media and this new-fangled internet thingy. Or maybe they should just stop being complacent and lazy

The Parallel Election Left Me Gobsmacked

The Parallel Election Left Me Gobsmacked

By Bob Small

Mostly I read the Delco Times, Jewish Currents, and National Geographic and a smattering of articles, other magazines, the internet, and poems, but usually don’t invest my time in a book.

The Parallel Election by Leah Hoopes and Gregory Stenstrom is the only book I’ve read this year. 

However, after buying a copy from Leah at the 2023 Bill of Rights Banquet, ostensibly for a friend, I decided to at least start the book. Four hundred pages later, I realized how extensive the level of fraud was in 2020.  I was truly gobsmacked.

Now in one of my  my previous lifetimes, volunteering for the Greens, Independent, and Libertarian candidates, we knew the Democrats and Republicans would fight every signature to keep us off the ballot.  They would use every means, financial and legal and— If we finally made it on the ballot, we had exhausted all our financial and volunteer resources and could not win, except for occasional Judge of Election races, but nothing that could change the dynamics of uniparty rule. Period, end of sentence, as they used to say in South Philly.

But this book reveals a whole new level of cheating, shall we say the “Super Bowl of Cheating”. Much better than either Northeast or South Philly, where the dead continued to vote, but only for “the right Party.”  This was the attack of the “Uniparty”, both Democrat and Republican.

The evidence here was shocking.  Yet the evidence couldn’t be presented nor the results definitively challenged.

How is our system different from a totalitarian regime?

Consider an example of cheating in a non political world. 

That happens, too.

 The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series through a unique sign-stealing plan.  Major League Baseball finally (January 2020) confirmed this even though the record books still list the Houston Astros as the winners in the 2017 World Series.  Steps were taken to prevent this happening again and, presumably, are effective.

Let me end this, not with an answer, but with a question.

Having said all that, how do we approach changing the rules of the 2024 Primaries as opposed to changing the results of the 2020 Election?

The Parallel Election Left Me Gobsmacked

Tiger King Runs for President

Tiger King Runs for President

By Bob Small

Can a convicted felon run for president? Well, the New York Times says yes, regarding a possible conviction of Donald Trump, so that answer would apply to Joseph Allen Maldonado (ne Schreibvogel), aka Joe Exotic.

These come from Maldonado’s 24-issue platform, presented as answers to questions that were sent to him.

On gun control: “I believe you have the right to carry a gun and protect yourself, but you can do that with a revolver. You don’t need an assault rifle to protect yourself

On felons: “I agree with you totally, that non-violent felons should be able to vote anywhere in America.”

On the LGBTQ community: “What the LGBTQ community has done to the progress we made for this new generation has destroyed our work by pushing the gay lifestyle in people’s faces.”

On homelessness: “But there should be housing for, like, six months, to give every homeless person a chance to get cleaned up, get a job and get on their feet.”

His biography is too complicated to summarize easily.  However, I hear that a 12-episode Netflix series captures most of the main points. Tiger King (TV Series 2020–2021)  Tiger King explained: Meet Joe Exotic, the latest Netflix star

In brief — after coming out as gay and  being estranged from his family, Maldonado attempted suicide. He moved to Florida for salt-water therapy and found himself working with animals, and then he opened a pet store with his brother Garold, who was killed in 1997 by a drunk driver. Maldonado and his then-husband Brian managed the Garold Wayne Memorial Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, which he started with his parents. Brian passed away in 2002.

After that, Maldonado became known as the “Tiger King”. 

Though he’s currently serving a 21-year sentence on 17 different federal charges, there have been various appeals, one of them based on recanting of testimony by a known fraudster, one James Garretson.

Tiger King Runs for President

Ziegler And Leah And Greg Explain America’s Corruption Crisis At Bill Of Rights Banquet

Ziegler And Leah And Greg Explain America’s Corruption Crisis At Bill Of Rights Banquet

By Bob Small

This year’s crowd at the Bill of Rights Banquet was the largest we’ve seen with about 200 from several states and and of all ages.

“I was greatly encouraged by the large attendance — about twice as many as any Bill of Rights Banquet in the last two decade,” Upland Mayor Bill Dennon, told me. 

The banquet, Dec. 15, at  Yoder’s Restaurant in New Holland, Pa., is presented by the Bill of Rights Bicentennial Committee led by Carris and Eric Kocher, and has been going on since 1991.

The Bill of Rights was adopted on Dec. 15, 1791.

Speakers were former Trump staffer Garrett Ziegler who created a definitely detailed report of the crimes revealed on Hunter Biden’s laptop; and Gregory Stenstrom and Leah Hoopes the authors of The Parallel Election: A Blueprint for Deception.

Stenstrom is also co-founder of Patriot.Online, a growing social media site.

Stenstrom and Ms. Hoopes led off describing how correct procedures were not followed in the 2020 election in Delaware County, Pa..  As their book explains, and as many of us long-term residents expect, this is not a Democrat or Republican issue, but a current government issue.

This left me wondering is how do we correct this problem for 2024 so every vote is counted?

Ziegler And Leah And Greg Explain America's Corruption Crisis At Bill Of Rights Banquet
Garrett Ziegler at the podium

Ziegler, who travelled from his home in Illinois, described his investigations into Hunter’s laptop via Marco Polo, the research organization he founded.

For a taste of what he said watch this The Real Story broadcast.

Throughout this part of the evening the thought came to me that what we were brought up to believe, whether you grew up in the 1950’s, 1960’s on through current times may have been/maybe is a false narrative.  The teachings of Democracy, a free press, honest elected officials, etc. is no truer than our Mister Santa Claus.

If the above is true, and The Parallel Election and Marco Polo should convince you of that, then what is our plan, not to sound too radical, to reclaim our rights as citizens?  Do we have one?

Ziegler And Leah And Greg Explain America's Corruption Crisis At Bill Of Rights Banquet
The crowd at Yoder’s Restaurant for the Bill of Rights Banquet (Photos by Joy Schwartz)

Bread From French Camp Academy

Bread From French Camp Academy

By Bob Small

One signpost of the holidays has always been our loaf of bread from French Camp Academy (FCA) in Mississippi.

In 1810 Frenchman Louis Lafleur built a trading post and inn on the Natchez Trace between Natchez and Nashville.  In 1855, the Mississippi Institute was established, and later, a school for boys. The schools were combined as French Camp Academy after a fire in 1915. 

Among the school’s special features are the radio station WFCA, the Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium (largest in the state).  There’s also the Council House Cafe and their annual Harvest Festival, both of which we’ve attended in years past.

A few of the many student activities are construction, fishing, Camp of the Rising Sun rock wall, The Children of God Pottery Studio, cutting sorghum, grounds crew program, The Ministry of Bread, photography, the trail ride, and zip line at Lake Ann. Of course, there are many religious activities besides services at French Camp Presbyterian Church.

According to Private School Review, it’s one of the “best Boarding schools in Mississippi”, serving “Young people who need a fresh start in life”, and  is “Christ-centered”.

 See also  Best Elementary Schools in Choctaw County ..

For an academic analysis, see  The Impact Of French Camp Academy On Child Abuse And ….

Here’s more information about Skylyr Effler, mentioned in the article.

My late mother-in-law grew up in rural Mississippi and attended FCA in the 1930’s. Her 10 brothers and sisters also attended.

 During the times we traveled to Mississippi forging relationships with her family, we naturally visited FCA and decided to become a donor. FCA sends the loaf of bread, made in their bakery, as they consider Jesus as the Bread of life, as they say in the donor letter. This was started in the 1950’s under then FCA president Sam Patterson.

Disclaimer;  Though we are birthright Jews, we feel free to support good works by any religious or non-religious group.  

Bread From French Camp Academy

Chester Native E. W. Jackson Seeks Highest Office

Chester Native E. W. Jackson Seeks Highest Office

By Bob Small

E. W. Jackson, who was born 71 years ago in Chester, Pa., has certainly done a lot and now he’s seeking the Republican nomination for president.

He credits his achievements to his biological father reclaiming him when he was 10 years old. A Marine veteran and a Harvard Law School graduate, he practiced law in Boston for fifteen years, and later became a Strayer University adjunct professor.

Jackson went to Harvard Divinity School and was ordained as a pastor. He hosted “Topic Religion” on the radio station WEEI, then ran Boston’s first gospel radio station. Later he was forced into bankruptcy.

He has said, “given the opportunity to do it all over again, I would gladly give nine years of my life to broadcasting the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Though descended from slaves, Jackson is proud to be an American. He is the co-founder of a group called STAND, which started the Forgotten Children Project. Forgotten Children Project

With his wife Theodora, Jackson co-founded the Annual Chesapeake Martin Luther King Breakfast, which has continued for a quarter of a century.

He has written three books, and his latest one is Sweet Land of Liberty — Reflections of a Patriot Descended From Slaves. ”Sweet Land of Liberty: Reflections of a Patriot Descended .

Of Jackson’s many accomplishments is his 2013 GOP run for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, which he lost to Ralph Northam.

He’s very clear about why he’s a Republican, In obedience, evangelical pastor enters race for GOP …

Of the Democrats, he says, “their attitude is they own black people; they own the victim classes they set up”

In the about section of his website, he adds “We patriots do not pretend America is a perfect country, but we are a noble nation”

In the “issues” section, he lists 10 top issues, which are twenty pages but well worth reading.

Under “Patiotism” (Issue # 10), he promises to declare September “American History month” as opposed to the various “hyphenated-American classes”, which he sees as divisive.

Pastor Jackson is another candidate with some original ideas.  Sadly, these will only exist as long as his candidacy does.

Chester Native E. W. Jackson Seeks Highest Office

Truth in Education Controversial Part of CHD Conference

Truth in Education Controversial Part of CHD Conference

By Bob Small

One of the more controversial groups represented at the  2023 Children’s Health Defense (CHD) Conference was Truth In Education (TIE).

TIE says that Comprehensive Sexuality Education commonly taught in public schools “is an assault on the family and the health and innocence of children.”

Of course, this brings back the old problem of parents, as many are, who are reluctant to have that conversation and doesn’t account for the addition of the internet.

  Another issue they oppose is Critical Race Theory (CRT) 

 “Simply put, instruction in Critical Race Theory as presented in Black Lives Matter curriculum and The 1619 Project pushes American students down the road of hate,” says TIE.

As long as the totality of American History is taught, including slavery,  emancipation, including both US Support for Israel and Operation Paperclip  in the curriculum, there would not be a CRT or the 1619 Project.   One wonders if most students even know that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, not a Democrat.  

Under the “what can you do” section, they list many good suggestions, including “attend school board meetings and know what is being taught in your school”.

One wishes there would be a line about running for the school board. 

Most local school boards do not require “professionals.” What we need more of are carpenters, factory workers, waiters and waitresses.  In 2005, Mary Gay Scanlon ran for the Wallingford Swarthmore School Board and lost.

She eventually did win an election.  

And how about we teach students to question authority, especially government authority, such as covid mandates and election results that seem unrealistic?

Teachers rarely let their students challenge the things they teach.

“Critical thinking” lessons is too often teachers playing pretend.

“The Socratic education begins … with the awakening of the mind to the need for criticism,” it is said.   This is another way of saying always question.

Lastly, another critique is Why Truthful, Inclusive Education Benefits All Students

Dr. Kesha Moore of LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is quoted: All children have a right to know the truth, to know who they are, to know who they live with, and what their community is like.

So where do we go from here?

Truth in Education Controversial Part of CHD Conference

Dean Phillips, Our First Jewish President?

Dean Phillips, Our First Jewish President?

By Bob Small

Congressman Dean Phillips (D-MN3) , is seeking to be America’s first Jewish president.

Joe Biden is only the second Catholic president. 

Phillips says he is primarying the incumbent because Democrat voters need an alternative.

“If President Biden is the Democratic nominee, we face an unacceptable risk of Trump being back in the White House,” he wrote on X.

His backstory is fascinating.  He started  as the president of Phillips Distillery, a family business. He was also the co-founder of Penny’s Coffee, a twin cities coffee chain, and was a co-manager of Talanti Gelato, a luxury producer of gelato and sorbet.

Phillips grew up in Minnesota in a Gold Star family; his father died during the Vietnam War. His mother remarried Edward Phillips.

His grandmother was Abigail Van Buren aka “Dear Abby”.

He is currently married to Annalise Glick, with two daughters from his first marriage.

He has a net worth of $65 million, according to Open Secrets.

According to his campaign website  he is the “the only member of Congress who refuses to take any money from PACs, federal lobbyists, or other members of Congress.”

“I live with gratitude for my blessings and was taught that success is not to be measured by how much one collects, rather by how much one shares,” he says.

Unlike many Democratic Candidates , he describes himself as “a responsible gun owner.”

Under Higher Education and Job Training he states “We must treat the underlying problem of college, affordability.”

He also supported the passage of the 2022 Relief for Restaurants and hard-hit small Businesses Act.

“This is the time to meet the moment. This is now and it’s time for a new generation. It’s that simple.”

He also said California Governor Gavin Newson is running a “shadow campaign”

He has been criticized for recruiting defund-the-police activists Alondra Cano into his campaign albeit he has been endorsed by the Minnesota Police and Peace officers Association, Minnesota’s largest Officer organization.

Now, at last, the Democrats have two major candidates.  They can start to think about a debate.

Guess the Vegas odds on that ever happening.

Dean Phillips, Our First Jewish President?

Dimmock, Pa. Was Concern At Georgia Conference

Dimmock, Pa. Was Concern At Georgia Conference

By Bob Small

Reviewing some of the 50-plus materials gathered at the 2023 CHD (Children’s Health Defense) Conference in Savannah, GA. I decided to start with materials from Pennsylvania. 

As a formerly practicing Green, I was familiar with Dimmock Environmental Research Center.

Dimmock is in Susquehanna County and is infamous for fracking gone wrong. 

Dimmock Environmental quotes Section 127 of the Pa. Constitution which says “The People have a right to clean air, pure water.”.

The documentary Gaslands provides one introduction to the problems and can be watched free online.

Gasland (2010) | Watch Free Documentaries Online 

Cabot Oil and Gas, now Coterra, pleaded no contest to 15 criminal charges in June 2020 and agreed to pay millions for new water system in Dimock

“There were failures at every level,” then attorney General Josh Shapiro  said. “The local elected officials where someone would normally go, ignored them. The regulators whose job it is to set the boundaries for industry to operate in, failed.” 

Ray Kemble, a resident of Dimmock, said “The higher-ups of these companies, they should be going to jail.”

Environmental Attorney Rich Raiders, who is also a petroleum engineer, said “industry workers from Texas and Oklahoma came to Pennsylvania without any knowledge of the state’s unique geology and didn’t bother to find out. “

For a full recap of the 2010 settlement see  Dimock, Pennsylvania Residents to Share $4.1 Million, Receive Gas. 

However, former Gov. Wolf decided to again allow fracking in Dimmock last year. See Pennsylvania lifts ban on gas production in polluted village

One reason may be that  “Pennsylvania is the nation’s No. 2 gas-producing state after Texas, and Susquehanna County, where Dimock is located, produces more natural gas than any other county in the state. “

Not everyone agrees with this decision, as the Pennsylvania Green Party informed me, as they are part of the Better Path Coalition.   Better Path Coalition

However, the whole promise of clean energy may not be as economically feasible as promised.

Or it may be;  Go Green Without Going Broke: Affordable Tips for …

The internet has at least five articles on each opinion.  

https://www.gpofpa.org › an_essay_against_fossil_fuel_pipelines 

An essay against fossil fuel pipelines – Green Party of Pennsylvania

Dimmock, Pa. Was Concern At Georgia Conference

Fighting the Medical Industrial Complex

 Fighting the Medical Industrial Complex

By Bob Small

Recently, I read that Children’s Health Defense (CHD) was kicked off Facebook and Instagram. Having been at the Second Annual CHD conference, I wondered who was really spreading medical disinformation, they or the US government, specifically one Anthony Fauci.

Everyone I met and the speakers I heard, and the films seen at the conference in Savannah, GA, Nov 2-5, all spoke of receiving not misinformation but suppressed information. These were regular Americans who felt they had been lied to. Of course, our government never lies. You can ask it!

From that left-wing conspiracy journal The New York Times: The C.D.C. Isn’t Publishing Large Portions of the Covid 

Never Again is Now Global is a documentary film series by Holocaust survivor Vera Sharav.

Another important film is Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe (2016). At the conference I watched the sequel to this film, which was quite alarming, discussing many of the adverse effects that children may have suffered from Vaccinations.

The Defender is the online newsletter published by CHD.

Like any group, the CHD has both detractors and its supporters.

The arm  known as CHD-TV also produces many videos.

CHD has been sending a bus called Vax-Unvax on a tour throughout the country, interviewing people in each location who have suffered vaccine-related injuries. It is still touring. 

Stories of the vaccinated is an article that discusses some of these bus interviews.

Interview 1839 – A Million People Need to Share This … is an audio interview with some doctors affiliated with CHD about issues regarding the WHO (World Health Organization) and its recent conduct regarding vaccination protocols.

Of course, you can find a plethora of media articles that attempt to discredit CHD.

Everyone should study all sides of the vaccination issue and make up their minds.

The “lamestream” media will try and make up your mind for you. Do you remember “weapons of mass destruction” and “the light at the end of the tunnel”? I thought you might.

Thanks to Carol and Don Kennedy who also attended this conference and shared their insights.

Fighting the Medical Industrial Complex

 Fighting the Medical Industrial Complex