Primary 2022 Is Coming And Politics1 Is A Good Tout Board
By Bob Small
To begin with, I no longer support any candidate who might win. In ’96 I voted for Bill Clinton who turned out to be everything he said he opposed. That learned me. I do wonder how John McCain might have been as President, but his running mate scared me, and many others. Now Obama’s VP scares many of us. Oh well.
Since then, in my previous volunteer work with Democracy Unplugged, I have sought to give space to the “fringe” voices who will never hold elective office but may have some ideas we might want to hear, along with other “issue” forums. For one example, see. Jan 30th, 2008 Democracy Unplugged Candidates Forum
My guide to locating these unheard voices has always been Politics.1, a website that lists almost all of the candidates running for the “larger” statewide offices.
Most recently, they cited Monaco’s pledge against Vladmir Putin as a reason for his imminent downfall, so they do have a sense of humor.
To follow the Congressional races, go to “Governor and Statewide races” and locate Pennsylvania in the US Map, then scroll down past governor, lieutenant governor and senator to congressional races. Tapping the name of a candidate will lead you to his/her Facebook or Twitter or website page.
Starting in CD 1, we have Henry Conoly, either a Green or a Libertarian, who actively opposes US involvement in Ukraine (see his whole Twitter feed)
CD 2 has Salem Snow who is a Kensington-based housing justice and medicare for all activist.
In CD 3 we had Daryl Brooks, a Republican frequent candidate and self-professed felon.
Skipping over to CD 5, which is Swarthmore’s own Mary Gay Scanlon, neither the Libertarian John Hayes or Proud Boys organizer Richard Schwetz have any websites, though Richard is all over the internet in Proud Boys mentions. John Hayes, Republican, is an anti-vaccine mandater, among other good qualities. However, I have to vote for my Swarthmore neighbor, or I will be shunned.
Primary 2022 Is Coming And Politics1 Is A Good Tout Board
Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Guided missiles and misguided men William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-10-22
Totally disgusted, indignant fans have a message for near-universally detested MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, multi-billion-dollar net worth owners, Major League Baseball Players Association’s Executive Director Tony Clark, and the pampered, overpaid, multi-million- dollar-earning players. Take your overpriced tickets, tasteless hot dogs, warm, flat beer, launch angles, exit velocities, pitch counts and stuff them. The commissioner, owners, union and players have grievously misjudged the baseball nation’s post-pandemic, inflation-ravaged, Ukraine war-anxious mood. The last thing baseball bugs want to hear is well-heeled, privileged elitists carping about their lot and the perceived injustices they’re suffering.
The whiners have forgotten that fans have plenty of baseball options, all better than getting fleeced and bored stiff at the old ball yard where game time averages 3:10. High school, junior college and NCAA college games are underway. Parking at some venues is free, and the proceeds from concessions go right back to the athletic department to help buy equipment and defray travel expenses, not to further enrich billionaires.
Junior college provides a launching pad for players who aspire to Division 1 and represents an opportunity for them to get bigger, stronger, better and catch the attention of scouts. Among the JUCOS who became MLB superstars are Jackie Robinson, Albert Pujols, Kirby Puckett, Curt Schilling, Mike Piazza, Jorge Posada and Bryce Harper.
At D-1 baseball, the skill level is high. Last weekend, No. 1 ranked Texas and UCLA, Tennessee, Louisiana State and Oklahoma State – all major programs – played in the nationally televised Shriners Children’s College Classic. The teams played nine inning doubleheaders. The Longhorns have a rich history that sent Roger Clemens, Brandon Belt, Huston Street and others to the bigs. The Bruins have placed 28 UCLANs in the Big Show, including standouts Brandon Crawford, Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Take today’s young players out of their collegiate uniforms and put them in MLB jerseys, and few fans would notice any drop off in the quality of play. Pitchers throw 90 mph-plus; the fielders make wide-ranging plays, and batters hit with power.
At the collegiate level, coaches stress fundamental baseball, something sorely lacking in the big leagues. University of Southern California’s late, legendary coach Rod Dedeaux’s guiding philosophy: “Never make the same mistake once.” Dedeaux’s students listened. During his 45 years as USC coach from 1942 to 1986, Dedeaux’s teams won 11 CWS titles, including five in a row. Many Trojans went on to stellar MLB careers: Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Mark McGwire, Dave Kingman and Fred Lynn.
For televised baseball, viewers have lots of offerings. ESPN will air the top NCAA teams between now and June 27, the date the College World Series ends. If MLB isn’t back in action for the summer months, then fans can check out the 76 Independent League teams. The season ticket package for the Independent League Chicago Dogs is a better value than a single seat at the Cubs’ Wrigley Field, average ticket price $83. The casual, fun times that Independent League baseball offers are available from coast to coast: the Bakersfield Train Robbers, the Kansas City Monarchs, the Milwaukee Milkmen and the New York Boulders. Some teams offer “kids eat free” games, an anathema to MLB owners who charge eye-popping prices for food and beverages. True fans know that the game is the thing, not the guys who play it.
Negotiations between the owners and the players are going poorly. They resent and distrust each other. Even though they sign the checks, the owners can’t believe the salaries players earn. Contracts signed pre-lockout include 37-year-old Max Scherzer’s $130 million, three-year deal with the New York Mets, a record-setting $43 million per season. When last heard from, Scherzer begged off from a crucial World Series pitching turn: “arm fatigue.” Money flows so freely in baseball that the Washington Nationals’ 24-year-old outfielder Juan Soto rejected a $350 million, 13-year extension. Soto’s reasoning: when he becomes a free agent after the 2024 season, he anticipates he can ink a $500 million deal.
No one knows when the ugly, take-no-prisoners negotiations will end. The only certainty is that baseball, already losing fans to professional football, basketball and soccer, has sustained another black eye, something it can ill-afford. The old-fashioned, field of dreams romantic vision of baseball as the national pastime, with fathers and sons playing backyard catch, is gone forever. In its place stands the image of nasty haggling over whether players’ minimum annual salaries can reach $755,000 or whether they’ll have to settle for the owners’ $640,000 offer.
Enough! More can be gained from focusing on the great college teams and their coaches’ insights. Bob Leach, who played for Dedeaux on the Trojans’ 1974-1976 teams wrote this about his coach: “Most of us players thought we were in training to become major leaguers. In reality, we were all serving an internship for life. In addition to making great baseball teams, he was more importantly passing on his wisdom and experience so that we could succeed in any setting.” Too bad that Dedeaux’s understanding of the human condition hasn’t reached Manfred, Clark, Scherzer, et al.
Joe Guzzardi is a Society for American Baseball Research and Internet Baseball Writers Association member. Contact him at guzzjoe@yahoo.com.
Lockout Gives Fans Chance to Enjoy Real BaseballLockout Gives Fans Chance to Enjoy Real Baseball
Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: There is nothing which can better deserve your patronage, than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.
George Washington
Surest basis of public happiness William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-9-22
Sometime in 2000, I received a t-Shirt from my daughter, then and now in Minneapolis (she said Philadelphia was too warm for her). This t- Shirt had the map of Minnesota with the message “My Governor can beat your Governor”. This was my introduction to then Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, former professional wrestler, and, prior to that, a member of the US Navy Underwater Demolition Team.
Years later, I discovered he had a podcast on ITunes entitled “The World According to Jesse”.
I learned how to “burn” podcasts to CD’s. This became one of the few political podcasts we both enjoy listening to together in the car.
However, there’s always a however in life, this podcast was one of the ones on RT aka Russia Today, which is sponsored by Russia, as VOA (Voice of America) is sponsored by the US government. Recently, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Meta aka Facebook aka big media Google. etc, has banned RT from all it’s platforms, including ITunes.
However, RT can now be accessed via Rumble, soon to be the home of Truth Social.
In a way, then, Vladmir Putin and Donald Trump will be, at least electronically, neighbors.
There are a number of reasons why this may not be as good an idea as it seems, leaving aside the first amendment rights of Jesse Ventura and other American presenters on RT.
“The act of censorship can have a totally counterproductive effect on the citizens who follow the banned media,” said Ricardo Gutierrez, who is general secretary of the European Federation of Journalists. “In our opinion, it is always better to counteract the disinformation of propagandist or allegedly propagandist media by exposing their factual errors or bad journalism.”
Secondly, neither BBC, Deutsche Welle (Germany), NPR or VOA make any pretense at objectivity. All have their subjectivities.
Third, if both Mein Kampf and The 1915 film Birth of a Nation are available at the click of a mouse, why not RT?
And then today, my natal day, I discovered RT was again on all the online sites though without any reason for it’s resumption! The internet seemed to be acting as if the banishment never happened! That happens a lot on the internet.
Wagon full of gold William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-8-22
Oczmz dn ijocdib rcdxc xvi wzoozm yznzmqz tjpm kvomjivbz, ocvi ocz kmjhjodji ja nxdzixz viy gdozmvopmz. Fijrgzybz dn di zqzmt xjpiomt ocz npmzno wvndn ja kpwgdx cvkkdiznn.
Bzjmbz Rvncdiboji
Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: A handful of friends is better than a wagon full of gold.
Czech Proverb (OK, Slovak proverb)
Wagon full of gold William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-8-22
Blacks And Jews Lead American Revelation In New York
By Olivia Braccio
Is there anything comparable to the warm, glowy feeling in your soul when you see the Statue of Liberty come into view as you’re traveling on the I-78 through Jersey City after the long ride up from Pennsylvania? I’ve been shooting the anti-mandate protests in New York City regularly for six months now, and I think it’s safe to say that there is not.
Medical Freedom Demonstrators Photo by Olivia Braccio
Our Statue was a beacon of hope to both my relatives when they sailed over on the ship from Italy in search of a better life a generation ago, as well as the immigrant friends I’ve just recently made during my visits to New York. Everything Lady Liberty represents is under assault from a tyrannical government, the likes of which we thought were impossible in a capitalist nation. Whenever we’re gathered in the city, I picture the Statue gazing down upon us from her island in the Hudson Bay, weeping both tears of pride at her citizens who are willing to fight for thepersonal rights and freedoms that constitute the very essence of America, and sadness at the fact that we’re in the position of having to do it at all.
Photo by Olivia Braccio
Vaccine and mask mandates in New York are drawing to a close. However, now that the government has found a way to effectively manipulate the masses, we don’t know what else may be in store. But it is possible to look to the future with an impending sense of doom while feeling immense gratitude for the here and now. It was great to be in Crown Heights on Sunday, Feb. 27, photographing a rally in support of medical freedom for all New Yorkers. I meet more interesting people each time I visit the metropolis. I did not expect to be so warmly welcomed into the city, having come from out-of-state and randomly inserted myself into the situation largely for photographic purposes at first. I love everything about New York City. Everything. But the cultural aspect? Oh, that’s the very best part of all.
Although it is a geographically small microcosm of the United States, it’s the city that most closely represents the melting pot that is the backbone of American society. You can almost meet people from all 195 countries in 302.6 square-miles. And as I participate in these beautiful displays of unity nearly every week, I feel like the epitome of what it means to be an American has finally been revealed to me. Which sounds strange coming from a person who was born here and has lived here her whole life. But up until these past several months, if someone had asked me what it meant to be an American, I would’ve answered, either someone who was born on American soil, or someone who immigrated and obtained their citizenship. And both those definitions are true. But now I understand it in a deeper and more palpable way. It’s people, from each nationality, each continent, Christians, Jews, Hindus, atheists, gays, straights, young, old, various socioeconomic classes behaving as though those differences don’t exist and coming together in an effort to preserve the liberties on which their beloved nation—either native or adopted—was founded.
Photo by Olivia Braccio
Since we were in Crown Heights, we were joined by many members of the Hasidic Jewish community, wearing their traditional wigs/hats, skirts, and of course yarmulkes. Our rallies are wonderfully diverse; we also had members of the African-American community along with the Jews, per usual. This is why it irks me to no end when people call us white supremacists, when in reality, the two ethnic groups leading the resistance in NYC are the black and Jewish communities. I actually wish more people from the surrounding suburbs would join us so they could see the camaraderie for themselves. I do sometimes tell people down here in Pennsylvania about what I see in NYC and they look at me skeptically, as if in disbelief.
One of the fantastic speakers at this event was Kevin Jenkins, a pastor and probably one of the most gifted orators on the planet. I like when he tells us to “inhale God, and exhale fear.” He also told everyone to hold hands, so I let the camera dangle from my neck and grasped the hand of the black woman to my right and the Jewish woman to my left. It’s not something I normally feel comfortable doing, but no one is a stranger when you’re at a freedom rally. Then he asked us all to give each other a hug. “Come here, girl!” said the woman to my right, enveloping me and the camera in a delightfully bone-crushing embrace. And then I wasn’t mad anymore at the people who insult us and make us out to be something we’re not. I was sad. On their behalf. For what they’re missing.
Blacks And Jews Lead American Revelation In New York
Be strong and courageous William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-7-22
U buhxzof iz zlcyhxm cm vynnyl nbuh u quaih zoff iz aifx.
Wtywb Jlipylv
Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Be strong and courageous William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-7-22
Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: One can enjoy a wood fire worthily only when he warms his thoughts by it as well as his hands and feet.
Odell Shepard
Enjoy a wood fire William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-6-22
Border Invasion Marches On Is Real State Of The Union
By Joe Guzzardi
After forcefully chastising Russia and its aggression against the Ukraine, claiming credit for ending the COVID-19 pandemic and creating jobs, promising to combat inflation and taking a bow for his Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Supreme Court nomination, President Biden finally in his State of the Union spoke about the Southwest border.
Biden’s mention of the border surprised many because his immigration policies are an unmitigated disaster and cannot truthfully be described otherwise. Many wondered what border Biden might have been referring to. From Biden’s speech: “We need to secure the border, and fix the immigration system.” Promising to “fix the immigration system” is widely recognized code for amnesty.
Predictably, Biden then segued into providing “a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.” He continued to: “revise our laws so businesses have the workers they need and families don’t wait decades to reunite.” Decoding, Biden meant amnesty for deferred action for childhood arrivals and temporary protected status holders, agriculture workers and “essential workers” whose skills have never been identified. More employment-based visas are included in Biden’s immigration vision. The total number of amnesty recipients would be millions.
Biden defended his largess when he claimed that amnesty is “the right thing to do,” and he cited as fellow advocates for increased immigration the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s biggest, deepest pocketed cheap labor lobby. In 2021, the Chamber spent $95 million lobbying the federal government, $23 million more than the second most powerful lobby, the National Association of Realtors.
So reality-detached were Biden’s immigration comments that viewers wondered what he was talking about. As the president, Biden has willfully allowed 2 million illegal aliens, and several hundred thousand “got-aways” from more than 100 nations, to cross into sovereign America where his Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has delivered them, either by air or land, into the interior of the United States.
Many different words are used to describe what Biden has sanctioned at the border – disaster, crisis, ruinous, calamity, tragedy and catastrophe. But inarguably the most accurate, most descriptive, most troubling word is invasion. With the full encouragement of DHS Secretary Mayorkas, Biden has overseen and given his blessing to the invasion which is still ongoing at this very moment. Border patrol agents have been stripped of their responsibilities to defend the homeland and are instead processing illegal immigrants, many whose true identities cannot be vouched for with cast-iron certainty.
On the other hand, what can be reported with 100 percent confidence is that Biden’s open borders have led to a financial windfall for Mexican cartels, the most ruthless and vicious criminals conceivable. The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that drug and human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business. Drug trafficking also has resulted in needless fentanyl deaths, especially among young Americans. In 2020, fentanyl deaths topped COVID, car crashes and suicide as the leading cause of deaths.
The extent of the invasion is, in large part, hidden from an unsuspecting America, and persists. Only individuals who make it a point to learn what’s happening will understand the reality. Here for example is data that Health and Human Services, the agency responsible for providing care for children under age 18 without lawful immigration status, provided to Arizona U.S. Representative Andy Biggs. Of the 146,248 unaccompanied children resettled since January 20, 2021, only 55,125 were placed with parents. Others were placed with siblings or distant relatives, and an alarming 19,726 sponsors could not be reached for a wellness check on the minor. The alien children’s physical and emotional conditions are unknown. While some are technically minors, some also claim MS-13 gang membership.
As Biden spoke, Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi looked on, applauding and nodding in agreement. Harris, the so-called border czar, is a spectacular failure. The closest Harris has been to the border’s hot spot, the Del Rio Valley, is 450 miles away in El Paso. In the meantime, illegal immigration from Quito, Ecuador, 2,500 miles from the Del Rio Valley, has increased seven-fold since 2020. Because illegal immigration has spiked to record highs, aliens are adrift, struggling to find employment, even day labor jobs.
During the run-up to 9 pm EST, Biden practiced his speech, got input from his staff and his ghost writer, and yet went with an immigration narrative that he knew was deceptive, perhaps intended as a cruel, unfunny joke on his political opponents. Final takeaways from the president’s SOU: Biden has no plans to change course and has deliberately taken a path that, left unchecked, will destroy sovereign America.
