Bills Would Strengthen Veterans Preference Laws

Members of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee held a public hearing in Harrisburg last week to study two bills to strengthen veterans preference laws in public sector employment, according to state Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) 

House Bill 1092 would create the Office of Veterans Advocate to assist veterans who experience problems with veterans preference, civil service appointments and post-deployment civilian employment. House Bill 1152 would reform, strengthen and clarify the use of veterans preference in the public sector. 

Late last year, lawmakers passed a veterans preference bill that Gov. Tom Corbett signed into law. Act 76 of 2011 requires at least one member of the State Civil Service Commission be a veteran.

Pennsylvania Again Saves The World

Consider the thatched hut. The grass roof is primitive but practical. It doesn’t let in rain in but does let out heat — important considerations in sweltering tropical climes.

Tarantulas and scorpions like to live in them, however, and the development of the grasslands to farmland is making the material to build them less abundant.
Now, consider the 3-liter soda bottle. They take up eternal space in landfills and are expensive to recycle.
What to do? To the rescue comes Dr. David Saiia, a professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh who has developed a hand-cranked machine that shreds the bottles into roofing strips that are a big improvement over the thatch.
The strips are attached to bamboo slats and the panels are fixed to the rafters. They last 10 times as long as the organic thatch.
Life has gotten just bit easier for the people of the grasslands.


Pa. Re-examines Adoption Laws

State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) reports that  House Children and Youth Committee held an informational meeting in Harrisburg this week to examine Pennsylvania’s adoption laws and processes, specifically looking at House Bills 449, 451 and 594. 

House Bill 449 would amend the state’s Domestic Relations Code to enhance counseling opportunities for parents unable to pay who are considering relinquishing or terminating their parental rights. 

House Bill 451 would reduce the amount of time a parent can use to revoke his/her consent for an adoption from 30 days to 96 hours. 

House Bill 594 would make extensive changes to the state’s adoption laws, including provisions to clarify issues relating to parental rights, especially for unknown birth fathers; address counseling and legal representation; and outline reimbursement of expenses for birth mothers. 

The bills aim to remove obstacles to adoption, as hundreds of Pennsylvania children are currently waiting long periods of time before being placed in a caring and loving home environment. 

How Sensitive Are You?

Here is a pop quiz to determine your sensitivity.

What powerful, prominent figure said regarding an unempowered, working class woman: Drag a $100 bill through a trailer camp and there’s no telling what you will find.

A. Rush Limbaugh
B. Rick Santorum
C. Pope Benedict XVI
D. James Carville, in reference to Paula Jones, a low-level Arkansas state employee who said that a certain prominent Democrat politician had state troopers escort her to a hotel room where he exposed himself to her in the manner of a subway flasher?
The answer is D. I’m sure that you all got it right and that you are now demanding that no respectable politician ever again associate with Mr. Carville.
Of course, none of you sensitive souls would ever vote for a man who would expose himself to a young woman after having law enforcement officers escort her into his presence, right?

Jennifer Stefano To Guest On Hannity

Jennifer Stefano, who is the Pennsylvania Director of Americans for Prosperity and  a frequent guest of the Delaware County Patriots, is scheduled to be part of Sean Hannity’s Great American Panel, 9 tonight on Fox News Channel.

William Lawrence Charged With Craigslist Hit Try

William Lawrence of Maplewood, Mo. is facing federal charges of  of interstate commerce in the commission of a murder for hire after he allegedly placed an ad on Craigslist in which he said: “Wanted dead, all the maplewood (sic) city police officers, paying one million per head, two million for detective (name)” 

I don’t know the guy.
 

The charges were filed March 2. Apparently Lawrence was upset because a Maplewood police office used a TASER on him after a disturbance at his home in February and confiscated a rifle, shotgun and marijuana. 
He had been pestering the Maplewood PD with calls demanding the return of the rifle and shotgun.
If the Maplewood Police had Joel Braun’s  Non-Lethal Weapon Mount With Modular Weapon Components, they could have not just tased Lawrence, they could have pepper-sprayed him, blinded him with a light and shot him with a non-lethal bullet as well.

Holy NLWMWMWC Batman, Crimefighting Gets Easier

Let’s say you are just walking along minding your own business when all of a sudden up pops an assailant.


Should you stun him? Pepper spray him? Shoot him with a non-lethal bullet? Or blind him with a light?

Worry no more about difficult questions like that!  Inventor Joel Braun has come up with a device that gives you all four options. He calls it the Non-Lethal Weapon Mount With Modular Weapon Components.

Pretty catchy, eh.

You can strap it to your forearm.

In fact, put the NLWMWMWC on one arm and the The BodyGuard 9XI-HD01 on the other and you could be your own comic book.


Pa Senate OKs Voter ID, Thank You Rogers Howard

The Pennsylvania Senate, yesterday, March 7, passed HB 934 that would require voters to present identification at polling places and in applications for absentee ballots. The vote was 26-23 with all Democrats opposed along with Republicans Stewart Greenleaf of the 12th District, and Mary Jo White of the 21st District,  Jane Earll of the 49th District.
Not voting was Republican Jane Orie of the 40th District.
The bill which was introduced March 4, 2011 by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-12) passed the state House June 23, 108-88 and had been languishing in the Senate to the dismay of Tea Party and other citizen groups.
In fact, it didn’t reach the Appropriations Committee until Dec. 14 where it stayed until Monday when it was sent to the floor with expediency.
Could the action be  coincidental with the fuss Rogers Howard, who is challenging Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi in the 9th District Primary, has raised about it?
One could think what one wants one supposes.
The bill allows for acceptance of non-photo ID such as utility bills, the casting of provisional ballots for those not having identification and allows names to merely “substantially conform” to those on the district register  rather than be an exact matches which is a good thing.
The bill now returns to the House for reconciliation.
Pa Senate OKs Voter ID, Thank You Rogers Howard
Pa Senate OKs Voter ID, Thank You Rogers Howard