First Mayor Debate on Saturday at Noon

The debate is on the TV on Saturday at noon. Must be in tv studio today. A three way with Kevin, Dok and Luke.

I wonder, if the debates will matter to the Pittsburgh voters?

I will try to live blog them.

Anticipation..... Or, Apathy...

I often hold that the excercise of a candidate debate is much more than about winning a vote or two from the small percentage of undecided voters. Really, this is about policy promises, about cred, about watchdogs and finally, about public process.

Most of all, shame on WQED, Pittsburgh's public TV outlet. That outfit is unfit and its charter calls upon candidate debates as part of its mix for operations. Nothing. QED is one of the larges drags of the region.

PA Sucks: State Budget Lacks Funding for Summer Camp Activities

Proposal Update E-mail:

Audience: 62 providers who submitted proposals

Hello,

State Budget Lacks Funding for Summer Camp Activities

Thank you for submitting a proposal to partner with the 2010 Pittsburgh Public Schools Summer Middle-Grades Camp. Our team is thrilled to have received many proposals from a wide range of individuals and organizations in Pittsburgh. The quality and quantity of the responses to the Request For Proposal (RFP) continues to inspire us to create the largest and most unique camp for middle-grade students ever offered by the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

As you know, this one-of-a-kind camp is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus dollars. We have been anxiously waiting for the state to pass a budget to determine the final amount the District will receive to allocate towards the summer middle-grades camp. Unfortunately, the state fiscal stabilization funds needed to operate the afternoon activities portion of the camp did not come through when the budget passed. The good news is we will still have Title I stimulus funds to operate the Summer Middle-Grades Camp. While the Title I funds make up less than the original anticipated amount of total funds, we believe strongly that we will be able to facilitate a robust and innovative summer camp nonetheless.

Title I funding is more restrictive than the anticipated state fiscal stabilization funds, and any activity that takes place during the summer camp must meet the Title I mandate of providing a clear, research-based literacy curriculum and/or model proven to be effective in raising student achievement, have a student to teacher ratio of 15:1 or less, and be delivered by “highly qualified” staff[1]. In order to continue to offer an afternoon activities component facilitated by community organizations and individuals, we must ensure the activities align with this Title I mandate.

The District is committed to offering our students the opportunity to experience unique afternoon activities as a part of this camp. Through an initial review of the submitted proposals, it is clear that some proposals already integrate and infuse literacy in the proposed activity. However, all proposals must now have the direct focus of increasing academic achievement in literacy or math.

New RFP Issued October 21, 2009

We are requesting every organization that submitted an initial proposal to consider submitting a new proposal based on one of the following options:

1. Make revisions to expand and/or clarify the direct literacy connection for the proposed activity, this revision option is only for proposals already directly tied to literacy and should include links to state standards, daily objectives, and lesson plans. However, you must submit a new proposal that incorporates the revisions.

2. Re-write a proposal to focus on literacy with the integration of an engaging activity. The new proposal would need to include links to state standards, daily objectives, and lesson plans.

3. Choose to not re-submit a proposal with a written confirmation of such inaction to Eddie Willson with the knowledge that your organization will no longer be considered for partnership in the Summer Middle-Grades Camp.

A new Request For Proposal document will be issued on Wednesday, October 21 that clearly outlines the new criteria providers must include in a new proposal. This new Request For Proposal will be open to providers who submitted an initial proposal as well as individuals and organizations who are interested in submitting for the first time. New proposals that are literacy-focused are due to Eddie Willson by 5 p.m, on Friday, November 6, 2009.

To discuss the funding situation and proposal resubmission process further, we are requesting every organization who submitted an initial proposal to attend a meeting on Wednesday, October 21 from 8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. The meeting will take place in conference room A in the board of Education building located at 341 S. Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Please RSVP to Eddie Willson at awillson1@pghboe.net by Tuesday, October 20 at noon to attend.

We anticipate there will be questions about the funding situation and proposal resubmission. We ask that you please bring your questions to the meeting on Friday and we will do our best to answer them at that time. You are also welcome to send your questions to Eddie in advance via e-mail and we can prepare the answers and share more information at the meeting.

Thank you for your understanding. We are looking forward to continuing to work towards our goal of creating the largest and most unique camp for middle-grade students ever offered by the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Eddie Willson, Activities Project Manager, Summer Middle-Grades Camp Team (412) 622-3985

[1] “Highly Qualified” is a term defined by NCLB as either a teacher with state certification, a bachelors degree, and proven competency in his/her subject or a paraprofessional with at least two (2) years of college.

So, Rush wants to own a NFL team. Poor, poor, Rush.

Please comment on Huff Post to counter-balance the trolls:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/post_413_b_321290.html

Response to Rush Limbaugh's Rage by Dave Zirin

Yesterday I was referred to on air as "scum " by Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh called me out by name on his radio show because, along with Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press , I challenged Limbaugh's efforts to own a NFL team, saying that his history of racial bombast should count against him.

Limbaugh said of us:

They are the ones with prejudice and bigotry coursing through their vanes [sic], through their hearts, and through their souls. They are consumed with jealousy and rage. They are all liberals--and make no mistake: That's what this is about. It is about ideology. It isn't about race. It's about their being jealous and attempting to discredit me, and they've now sunk to the low of repeating fabricated quotes that they cannot source.... These people are scum.”

What we all did was carry a quote from Limbaugh that he absolutely insists he did not say. The quote is:

We didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back; I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.”

For all the dittoheads out there, here is how we came up with the quote: it was in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch , the Detroit Free Press , the Washington Post , and in the book 101 People Who Are Really Screwing America by Jack Huberman. It has been out in the ether for years. Now that it is endangering his chances to become an NFL owner, Limbaugh is serving up a full heaping of indignation..
As Jason Whitlock, with whom I have had every manner of political disagreement over the years, writes :

Limbaugh claimed on his radio show Monday that his staff could not find any proof that he ever joked about slavery. I'm sorry. Limbaugh doesn't get the benefit of the doubt on racial matters.... You can argue the comments are presented out of context and were meant as jokes. Then I'd argue that Limbaugh needs to get on the comedy-club circuit and out of the business of attempting to influence presidential politics. Limbaugh wants to be taken seriously.”

But let's take Limbaugh at his word, for now, that he didn't say it. We should also look at the myriad of quotes on record he makes no effort to dispute. We can only assume that he is proud to have said , "The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons."

Or these other gems :

The NAACP should have riot rehearsal . They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”

Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?”

To an African-American caller: Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.”

Or upon hearing that Spike Lee said that black schoolchildren should take off from school to see the movie Malcolm X: Spike, if you're going to do that, let's complete the education experience. You should tell them that they should loot the theater and then blow it up on their way out.

”
Or calling Barack Obama "Halfrican-American " and saying: In Obama's America , the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, ‘Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on’.... We need segregated buses--it was invading space and stuff. This is Obama's America.”

The real reason Rush is doing a slow-burn on his show and setting loose his army of Internet flame throwers is that his dream of owning an NFL franchise is going up in smoke. After seven players and the union went public and stood up to Rush getting his mitts around the most powerful cultural and athletic brand in America, commissioner Roger Goodell finally spoke out. Goodell said on Tuesday that Limbaugh's "divisive comments " had no place in the NFL. "I have said many times before, we're all held to a higher standard here," Goodell said to reporters. "I would not want to see those kinds of comments coming from people who are in a responsible position in the NFL. No. Absolutely not."

Goodell's statement was complemented by Colts owner Jim Irsay, who told ESPN, "I, myself, couldn't even think of voting for him.... I'm very sensitive to know there are scars out there. I think as a nation we need to stop it. Our words do damage, and it's something that we don't need. We need to get to a higher level of humanity, and we have." Other owners issued decidedly lukewarm comments about the possibility of sharing space with Rush.

Some are surprised that ownership isn't welcoming Limbaugh with a passionate embrace because most owners are to the right of Attila the Hun. They are billionaires who have feasted at the public trough of corporate welfare while basking in tax breaks for the rich. In other words, they constitute Limbaugh's base. But his membership in this exclusive fraternity of billionaires would violate the first rule of ownership: protect the bottom line.

The inconvenient truth is that no matter how much he rants and raves, no matter how often he calls columnists like Burwell, Sharp and me "state-run-media scum," it's the commissioner and the owners who believe that his history of ugly vitriol would be just too harmful to the NFL brand. You reap what you sow, and Rush Limbaugh has reaped a whirlwind.

[Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com

Please comment on Huff Post to counter-balance the trolls: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/post_413_b_321290.html

Jonathan and Mary Robison of Oakland give their support to Dok

For Pittsburgh Mayor, we are supporting Franco Dok Harris running as an independent on his own party label. He is a graduate of Princeton and graduated from the joint law-business degree program at the Pitt Law School and CMU’s Tepper School of Business. He is articulate, independent-minded, and progressive. He also is endorsed by the Gertrude Stein Political Club and Planned Parenthood. He is 30 and is the son of Franco Harris, star of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is biracial, like our president – ‘Dok” is short for his mother’s maiden name, Dokmanovich.

The Democratic incumbent is Luke Ravenstahl. His programs are better than his politics. He has been strong on accessibility for persons like me – Jon – who use a power wheelchair to get around. We applaud Ravenstahl for creating an advisory council to work with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. We are told that his Department of City Planning is working creatively with the neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations. We don’t know why Ravenstahl is refusing to proceed with the asphalt recycling paving machine which will save time and money fixing streets and was approved by City Council. And why is Ravenstahl backing Dan Onorato’s bizarre proposal to merge the city into Allegheny County? Does he hope Dan Onorato will succeed Ed Rendell as Governor, and he will run the whole city/county government?

In politics, Luke Ravenstahl is the nation’s youngest “good old boy.” He supports the old guard. He is anti-choice and negative to campaign finance reform. His enormous political treasury both exemplifies and worsens the problem. Big money is a disease in American politics. You or I might give $50 to a candidate we thought good for the public. That’s a contribution. But when a candidate has a $200-a-plate fundraising dinner, and someone buys a table – that’s an investment.

The snip above is from Jon's email newsletter.

Daydreamin': What IF Onorato Wins? Peduto Is The Answer

It's time for a little political day dreaming. Pretend for a minute that Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato wins the gubernatorial race and vacates his current post.

Winning the race might be considered a nightmare for some, as Onorato has proven himself to be a dandy tax raiser. “Dan, Dan the Tax Man,” will be a nifty limerick to overcome over the next election cycle.

Democrat Onorato bested Allegheny County's first Chief Executive, Republican Jim Roddey, by running to the fiscal right of the moderate businessman. Roddey, a successful advertising executive and philanthropist, laid the proverbial goose egg once in office and fared only one term.

Onorato skated to an easy re-election and has not-so-secretly been priming the pump for a gubernatorial run ever since. Current Governor Ed Rendell, thankfully, cannot run for re-election. Rendell's ineptitude over the last eight years promises that not even a Turnpike rest stop can be named “in his honor.” Rendell's tour of duty as the Commonwealth's top general has been an utter and complete failure. And that legacy was cemented before the Democratic political machine propelled him to a second, more dismal turn.

If Onorato could surge past the competition and take residence in Harrisburg, suddenly, the state's second-most-prestigious post becomes available, with almost no sure-fire candidate ready for the seat.

Now, don't get me wrong. There's a certain boyish, big city Mayor who thinks that he would be the first-in-line for the post, but there's significant thought that the rather lightweight figurehead might not transcend from the inner city to the suburbs.

Add to that a certain moderate-to-conservative voting block in the northern-most region of the county that doesn't enjoy having taxes raised at every conceivable turn.

Finding that fiscal steward could be, would be difficult. But you've read it here first: no one in Pittsburgh or Allegheny County politics is better suited for the job than Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto.

A “Reform Democrat,” Peduto is decidedly not of the ACORN crowd. Recently, the long-time Pittsburgh pol attended a Jewish Women's dinner. And instead of using wheels provided by the Department of Homeland Security for a concert tailgate party, Peduto, in his early 40's, plays sports on the weekend. Most notably, he can be found checking opponents into the boards of a Pittsburgh-area Celebrity Hockey Team. Peduto also recently spoke at the eagerly-anticipated PodCamp Pittsburgh event and the 2009 Mahatma Gandhi Birthday Celebration. There isn't another politician in Allegheny County who would effortlessly make those activities work. There may not be another politician in the state who wouldn't look like a kook at one of those events.

In the last election cycle for Pittsburgh Mayor, Peduto was expected to participate. He didn't. That perplexed some, intrigued others. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called him a “coward” for not running. Pittsburgh's true revolutionary thinker, and doer, was on the sidelines. Hosting urban bike rides, doing more substantial “ground work” than any candidate, and he wasn't even running. He's keeping his name out there, perhaps in a more positive way than any other local politician.
Surely, Pittsburgh's Mayor took kudos for dodging the bullet that was G-20. Most of the “action” took place in Peduto's Bloomfield and Oakland. Peduto laid quiet and his neighborhoods did not burn. Onorato will also use the success that was the G-20, but his opponents are smart. They will drive home the fact that Onorato pushed through a drink tax to fund public transportation.

Smart people in and around Pittsburgh wondered why Peduto was passed over for Pittsburgh's current Mayor, but it clearly wasn't “his turn.” Remember, long-time Councilman Bob O'Connor was an also-ran for two mayoral races before finally winning when controversial Mayor Tom Murphy stepped aside after the 2005 election. Only then did O'Connor become a beloved, fatherly figure. Tragically, just as O'Connor earned his goal, he was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2006.
If Onorato wins, and there is no certainty in that (a continual liberal swing toward fiscal socialism hopefully will awaken a slumbering Pennsylvania electorate that appreciates financial responsibility), he will need to be replaced.

The current Pittsburgh Mayor appears to provincial, too limited in intellectual scope. Onorato is an attorney. Roddey before him an executive who became a multi-millionaire through decades of business ventures. It took him awhile, but Peduto did earn a BA from Penn State University just a few years ago.

The current mayor earned his position on Pittsburgh City Council almost right out of college because of his parent's political ties. Shortly after that, he was appointed Council President as a compromise candidate, nothing more. Twanda Carlisle, a councilwoman who was later busted for giving tens of thousands of public dollars to friends, and buying fur coats with city funds, nearly was that compromise candidate.

The current mayor cannot, or should not be ignored politically. Chances are his pal President Barack Obama might cast some influence his way should the Allegheny County Executive position crop up. By that time, Obama's popularity (see a base-less Noble Peace Prize as proof) might, hopefully, be on the wane. Again, a moderate-to-conservative block might enter the fray. That would benefit Peduto, who earnestly seems to look beyond his constituents' wallets for an easy fix.
Let's be honest: there isn't a Republican, or an Independent who would electrify the voters. Roddey's term as ACE might be the last for a Republican in Allegheny County. A vibrant, intelligent, viable Democrat could be the answer. There isn't a single person on Allegheny County Council with the name recognition or resume to make a charge.

That only answer is Bill Peduto. I would suffer those sleepless nights, knowing I changed my voter's registration card to Democrat to help Bill Peduto. I've done it before.

That's my alarm clock. Daydream is over.

Good News: PA has a budget. Bad News: It sucks.

Citizens of PA waited for 101 days to get a budget from those in Harrisburg. But, we really just wasted the time and opportunity to make 'real change.'

For years, I've asked that we replace before we reform. So, I am not suprised. We can't get reform with the ones that are there now. They don't have the capacity.

Ticking Time Bomb
PA headed for fiscal 'perfect storm'

By Lowman S. Henry


Finally, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a new state budget. The 101-day budget crisis ended with a new spending plan of $27.8 billion, a mere $500 million less than the previous year's budget which ran up a $3.2 billion deficit. Given that the new budget projects a zero percent growth in revenues, it would be logical to assume another multi-billion dollar budget deficit will ensue.


Some in the legislature understand what has happened. House Republican Leader Sam Smith summed it up well: "With more than a billion dollars in new or increased taxes, billions in federal stimulus dollars, and now by draining the Rainy Day Fund and the Health Care Provider Retention Account and raiding the Tobacco Endowment Fund, we are positioned on a giant funding cliff if the economy doesn't swing back strongly in a year."


The situation, in fact, is even more dire than Representative Smith portrays. According to state Representative Sam Rohrer, House Republican Finance Chairman, it is unwise to use fiscal year 2008-2009 as a revenue benchmark because September of 2009 marked the 17th consecutive month where revenue collections were below estimates. In fact, revenue for the 1st quarter of the new fiscal year (July, August and September) fell $140 million below estimates.


Using historic fiscal data, Representative Rohrer says a more realistic revenue projection during the current fiscal year would be $24.3 billion in tax collections. That is $3.5 billion less than the spending contained in the recently approved state budget. Much, but not all, of the deficit will be plugged by stimulus money and one time revenue sources. But, even with that, a massive budget deficit again looms for next year. Given these figures, it would have been more responsible for the General Assembly to have pared spending in the current fiscal year to the $24.3 billion level.


It would be bad enough if that were the only fiscal problem facing the commonwealth. But, it is only the tip of the iceberg. A looming melt-down in the state's pension system threatens to make the general fund deficit look like chump change.


The Commonwealth Foundation has been conducting a series of public meetings across the state to raise the profile of the pension problem, an arcane issue that fails to attract much media coverage but will soon have a profound effect upon taxpayers.


A policy brief issued by the Commonwealth Foundation puts the problem in perspective: "The looming crisis in the long-term commitments made by policymakers on behalf of taxpayers is reflected in the rapid 615% increase in expected taxpayer pension contributions from $584 million in FY 2004-05 to more than $4.2 billion in FY 2012-13." The foundation concludes that "without significant action affecting plan design, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will likely be facing unaffordable costs." In other words, when the two funds become insolvent billions of taxpayer dollars will be needed to finance the bail-outs.


Making matters worse, the state Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, facing a $1 billion deficit, is now borrowing money from the federal government to provide benefits to the unemployed. Given that unemployment continues to tick upward, there is every reason to believe the situation is going to get worse before it gets better.


Warren Hudak, a member of the Unemployment Advisory Council, said during a Lincoln Radio Journal interview that the system has a "structural problem" and that only three other states in the nation are now paying out more in benefits than Pennsylvania. Hudak says that under the most optimistic scenario the fund will remain insolvent for a "minimum of seven to eight years."


At the moment, federal stimulus dollars are being used to plug the holes in Pennsylvania's leaky fiscal ship. But, stimulus spending does nothing to change the underlying dynamics that point to major deficits when that temporary funding stream ends. When it does, Pennsylvania will be hit with a perfect storm unless spending is quickly reduced to more realistic levels. Unfortunately, as the recent budget crisis has proven, the political will does not exist in Harrisburg to take that responsible course of action. And so, the fiscal storm continues to brew.


(Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal. His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org)


Permission to reprint is granted provided author and affiliation are cited.

I do have my eyes on a slice of the 'stimulus funds' that are going to be spent here in Pittsburgh with the school district. In those plans, I did try to make significant changes with the proposal so as to make serious changes to the long-term landscape of the community with public health and fitness levels of the students -- and others.

Around Town: No quiet in these libraries

Lesson of Politics 101:

Around Town: No quiet in these libraries 'A lot of elected officials want to save one branch,' she said.

Divide and Conquer.

Lesson two, same chapter: Myopic Pittsburgh in terms of its political leadership and how they are rewarded.

Arena goodbye idea - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Arena goodbye idea - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "I propose that before Mellon Arena is torn down, we have a massive concert that headlines local musicians. Joe Grushecky, Donnie Iris, The Clarks, Bill Toms, Bill Deasy, Tom Breiding, Good Brother Earl and so many more could play. We could even open the roof.
Hate to lose you, Mellon Arena.
Wilson Kondrich
Swisshelm Park

The Civic Arena does NOT need to be torn down.

Good idea about a local concert. I'd call it more of a music festival, not just a concert. And, there was some talk about the opening of the roof again on the RAD Day. So, that is NOT out of the question.

The Civic Arena is a great place for open air hockey too. And, turn back the clock nights as well. It can stay for video screens of home games for overflow crowds.

The Civic Arena played an important role in the G-20 events too. It is a handy building to work in harmony with the Convention Center and the new Consol Arena.

Five swimmers suspended after party | dailytarheel.com

Interesting. The police called the athletic department, then they made the bust together.

Five swimmers suspended after party | dailytarheel.com Officer Mitch McKinney of the Chapel Hill Police Department was present and said Chapel Hill Police called Student-Athlete Services that night when they determined the party involved team members.

“If it’s a UNC student-athlete, we have agreed to make the athletic department aware of it also,” McKinney said. “Normally we’ve only done that after the fact. But we received a lot of resistance from everyone involved in that call.”

Once the athletics department was notified, senior associate athletic directors Larry Gallo and John Blanchard went to the house and helped break up the party, athletic director Dick Baddour said.

“They went to try to bring some calmness to the residents of the house, and that’s what they did,” Baddour said. “And they actually got cooperation from some of the swimmers who were there.

“To my knowledge, we’ve never been called out before."

JV Water Polo Teams

Great games at Chartiers Valley. Our first tournament, and the first ever of its type in Pittsburgh.

Parade in Bloomfield

Carnegie Library Closings Becoming A Political Issue - kdka.com

Carnegie Library Closings Becoming A Political Issue - kdka.com: "Ravenstahl Calls For Audit Of Library System

Luke took a page out of the Michael Lamb playbook. Did he borrow the book? Did he check it out? What is the Dewey Decimal Number for the Michael Lamb Playbook?

Tour Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 on South Side

Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 invites parents and community members for a tour of the elementary school, located at 1901 Sarah Street, on Wednesday, October 14th at 6:00 p.m. This event is a great opportunity to learn more about the school¹s students, programs, and achievements.

"Whether their child is starting Kindergarten next year or in future years, we hope that parents and families will stop by to learn more about our school," said Mr. Rodney Necciai, Principal, Pittsburgh Phillips K-5. He added, "We are also eager to share information about the Pittsburgh Promise and what we are doing as a school to provide the necessary "Pathways to the Promise" steps that we are taking so that all of our kids have the right foundation from which to someday take advantage of this unique opportunity." (The Pittsburgh Promise is now in place to help our students to "Dream Big and Work Hard" by providing scholarship monies for post-secondary education that is available to all of our students, regardless of income.)

During the event, guests will tour the school and learn about the curriculum, including the Spanish language emphasis of the school. Guests will have an opportunity to ask questions of Mr. Necciai and several parents of students who currently attend the school. Cate Reed, Project Manager, Office of Strategic Initiative, Pittsburgh Public Schools, will attend to answer questions about the Pittsburgh Public School district magnet program and the Pittsburgh Promise. A+ Schools will also provide information.

"We are a very lucky to have Phillips Elementary in the South Side, and impressed with our daughter¹s education at the school," said Michele Margittai, parent of a Phillips student. "This tour offers parents and others a chance to learn about this wonderful resource in our community."

Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 is a neighborhood school located in Pittsburgh's South Side community. Pittsburgh Phillips also includes a Spanish magnet program, open to all students by application. Parents must apply during Preferred or General Registration periods.

Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 is a neighborhood school located in Pittsburgh's South Side community. Magnet Program registration for the 20010-11 school year ends on December 12, 2009.

No RSVP is necessary. For more information about the tour, please call the school at 412-488-5190.

Michael Moore knows what capitalism is after all! | Young Americans for Liberty

Michael Moore knows what capitalism is after all! | Young Americans for Liberty: "Chad Swarthout of GWU Liberty Society gets Michael Moore to admit that we do not live in a capitalist society today. Wish he would have included that in the movie! Now Americans who have no understanding of a true free- market economy are lead to think that today's economic system is capitalism. When in fact it is not.
Even Michael Moore knows this. Why would he not include this into the movie? Is it perhaps that he is so obsessed with a utopian society where everyone is taken care of?"

Young People Don't Need Unions If They Want To Succeed In Work & Life

Recently, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a joint Letter to the Editor from two union leaders who repeatedly touched on socialist items under the guise of the American work force. The letter was entitled, “Young People Need Unions. They've Not Been Told What Collective Action Can Accomplish.”

The piece, compiled by Michael Fedor and Jennifer Jannon, touted on shockingly anti-American principles. Let's get started with the diagnosis:

“Young workers are among those hardest hit by the economic recession and the group least likely to have health insurance. We are shockingly likely to be living with our parents because we can't afford to pay rent -- let alone a mortgage. A recent study done by the AFL-CIO and Working America found 34 percent of workers under the age of 35 still living with parents, a number that jumped to 52 percent for those making less than $30,000 per year.”

First off, how is this different than just about any other generation? Nearly 20 years ago, when I was starting out after graduating college, I lived with my fiance. We had a plan to live together, pooled our money together, and survive day-by-day. We rented a small apartment. Then a larger one. Then an even larger one. Then half a house. Then we worked enough to buy a house. I was 30 when we closed the deal. From what I understand, that was my parents' plan slightly more than 20 years before that. And so on.
Secondly, if a young worker makes $30,000 a year, count yourself lucky. As someone in your early 20's, college graduate or not, you most likely don't have the work resume to make that kind of scratch. The same was correct 20 years ago. In fact, my goal was to make more money every year. Through hard work, that basically happened. To toss a blind “$30,000” at someone in their late teens or early 20's is fiscal bankruptcy. Who pays these wild prices? The consumer. Any consumer.

Back to the manic assertions of Fedor and Jannon: “Young workers know that the answers to their struggles won't necessarily come from employers. Just 41 percent said they strongly trusted their employer to treat them fairly. Young adults, in other words, need the benefits of union membership more than anyone.
That's why, as young adults in the labor movement, we were pleased by the focus on young workers at the recent AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh.”

They say that “just 41 percent...” I wonder if my grandfather, working in coal mines 60 years ago, had a higher “satisfaction” rate for his managers. Yes, he was a proud member of the United Mine Workers Association back in the day. Did “Pap” have top-of-the-line accommodations all the while working in an industry that defined the need for early unions? Seeing that the biggest thing he did in my lifetime was add a second trailer onto the decades-old one I remember from my earliest days. Family, not contractors, built the wonderful hallway between the two residences.
It's clear that Fedor and Jannon are aiming for the lowest-common-denominator: soft-mushy-minds of the disenfranchised who aren't ambitious, hard-working, principled employees. Instead, they are cobbling archaic ideals into empty ideas that—as a vantage point—somehow got the least-qualified Presidential candidate in the history of the union the top spot in the land.

More from Fedor and Jannon: “The need to involve younger workers wasn't just given lip service. This convention saw the election of the first woman and the youngest AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer ever, Liz Shuler, 39. A powerful new voice in the labor movement, she told the convention, 'It's not that today's young people don't like unions; it's just that they really don't know about us.'
How true. In school, most of us weren't taught that America's working people, united in unions, fought to win weekends off, the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage and safe workplaces. Nor were we taught that union members now earn 30 percent more and are 52 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance than nonunion workers. Or that for women and people of color, the best guarantee of equal pay for equal work is a union contract.”

Only a moron wouldn't use a relatively-minor office to showcase a a “young” leader. That being said, Shuler, 39, isn't young enough to be touted as youthful. Richard Trumka, 60, the new union president, seemed like an old man 30 years ago when he was yielding a relatively-heavy thuggish persona in the coal mining industry. Add to that the fact that he was an attorney and his creepiness was off the charts.
And by the way, when Trumka was “standing up to management” in 1979 in Western Pennsylvania, the coal mining industry was crippled throughout the region as a result. Mines closed, jobs were lost. Families were ruined. Forever.

It's beyond easy to call rallies for unionization asinine. Here's perhaps the coup de' gras: “These omissions have done our generation a disservice by obscuring the power of collective action. Instead, we've been taught that progress comes from above and that our success should be measured by what we alone accomplish.”

Again: “that our success should be measured by what we alone accomplish.” Economies are created, lives are enriched by “what we alone accomplish.” There were reports that the lunatics at the AFL-CIO convention booed a picture of Ronald Reagan. Reagan, who as president, railed against large governments, all the while extolling the virtues of the individual. Unionizing, just to save the least-productive worker for the highest hourly-rate possible, is extreme madness and way-of-life destroying. We won't even talk about the freedoms of working without “union representation.” The next union member I meet who is proudly ambitious at work will be the first.

The twosome continue: “Even for those of our generation who want to join unions, it's difficult to do so. Decades of union-busting have left many too afraid to risk their jobs with an attempt to unionize; workers are fired in one-third of unionization attempts. Passage of real labor law reform would go a long way toward ensuring that all workers have the freedom to join a union.”

In many areas of labor, unionizing is simply unfeasible. Only a few years ago, I enjoyed a part-time job in which fellow workers were eager to hear from a union organizer. I attended the meetings and heard altruistic, but unreasonable pay demands from co-workers. Those discussions continued after my time there was over. Within the blink of an eye, many of those jobs were eliminated. Guess what? They were not necessary jobs and management reacted accordingly.

Let's conclude Fedor and Jannon's argument: “Beyond that, young workers face unique challenges. As employers hire more temporary, part-time and contract employees, we feel stuck -- and ever more isolated.
That's why the renewed commitment from the AFL-CIO to help younger workers find their voices is so exciting. Every day Working America, the community-organizing affiliate of the AFL-CIO, talks to people who don't have unions in their workplaces but want to be heard on issues like health care and job security. We know that the passion for change is out there, waiting to be tapped.
To do that, the AFL-CIO is joining partner unions and organizations to engage our generation, awaken the best in us and involve us in the movement that built this nation -- and that will rebuild it better than ever.”

Not once is an argument for success or excellence forwarded in this naive, insulated diatribe. Success and excellence can only be forged with the freedom, hard-work and determination that is gleefully placed on the back-burner of this argument.
Unionizing for the sake of unionizing destroys jobs. That much is fact. Simple economics proves that unions cannot operate fast-food restaurants. The average burger flipper or mop person is a kid just starting out, a part-timer looking for supplemental income or a retiree looking for something to do. The aggressive worker at the corner fast-food joint is in the management program. There isn't a custodian in America who should earn $25 an hour to push a broom, yet unions prod for that type of wage.
Entrepreneurship has and will always run this country. They are the risk takers who will employ workers at a fair market value.

Unions did at one time assure menial laborers weren't being killed on the job. Antique unions made sure workers got paid over time and had time off. Today, unions push for Sundays off, all the while members routinely stay away from the church services “unions” seemingly wanted to protect.
America was built on ingenuity and personal accomplishments. Not the selfishness of a few. There's a genuine reason why union membership is on the wane in big numbers. Collective action slows growth to an excessive crawl.

Live Blog Bruce Kraus on KDKA Radio with Marty Griffin

Six agencies and the other enforcement agencies (two more?) are necessary to take away the rights of property owners. All of those agencies are good for a big government advocate.

Bruce is still glowing about his mind-expanding trip to San Francisco.

Wonder if any of those lines by the sidewalk cafes were painted by Bruce himself.

Jason got in a zinger at the start of the interview by passing on an instant message: "Tell Adolph Kraus he's fired."

Bruce says many people can't get to the post office because they can't navigate around the outside tables at Falino's. Humm. Tom's Diner was the place that had the giant election signs for the Kraus opponent, twice. If one lives in a cronies world, then to the victor go the spoils. Bang. Pay back. Blow back.

Kraus said, "You don't rule the world, Marty." Who does?

The zoning code in the Strip District is different than what applies in the South Side.

Penny calls: Bruce worked on the removal of the sidewalk cafe on his first day. Not after getting a ton of complaints. Penny has to come out to defend herself. Sidewalk is 18 foot wide.

Puts a rope around the neck of the small business owner.

Bruce wrote the sidewalk cafe ordinance. Bruce says it is not a personal issue. Bruce has HOW many businesses in HIS district? Bruce has 33,000 constituents.

Caller from Monroeville: "That guy does not have a clue!"

John calls and says "Bruce is from another planet." Where are you at on the cars parking on the sidewalks. Marty, he is an absolute liar."

My instant message: Ask Bruce if we'll be able to open South Side's Oliver Bath House for the summer of 2010 in the months of June, July and August for swim lessons? It is closed all summer.

Ask Bruce about the still closed indoor ice rink in the close South Side Park. Any progress there? This is a place that they said was being used for G20 protesters.

Penny got in a closing word. Back in the day....

Library system trims five Carnegie branches across city

Library system trims five Carnegie branches across city: "'There were a lot of pained expressions in the room over the vote,' city Councilman Bruce Kraus, who's also a trustee, said yesterday, 'but it was clear the library really did its homework on these decisions.'

Jeepers. The Library did not do its homework. It has made a long series of mistakes.
I was there and making strong objections to moving the Hazelwood branch of the library years ago. That was a bogus move. It was wrongheaded. We told ya.
The state charter for the library says that a librarian should be at the helm. But, political appointments put a person there who IS NOT with library credentials. Wrong again. Wrong homework. Wrong outcome. Hack. Now this.
There are plenty of other things in the 'homework realm' that can be done and should be done.

Peaceful Rally to Denounce Dan Onorato's candidacy for Governor of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 4TH, 2009
CONTACT: ALBERT PETRARCA 412-350-8278 MOSQUEAVENGER@AOL.COM



What: Peaceful Rally to Denounce Dan Onorato's candidacy for Governor of Pennsylvania

When: Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Where: Outside IBEW Hall, 29th and Sydney (one block off Carson Street towards the river on Pittsburgh's South Side

Time: 5:00 PM


County Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl are the two leaders who presided over and sanctioned the imposition of a police state on the city of Pittsburgh during the G20.

By announcing his candidacy for Governor this coming Tuesday, Mr. Onorato wants to extend his brutal and destructive leadership to all of Pennsylvania. A coalition of student and community groups will peacefully assemble outside the IBEW Hall on Pittsburgh's South Side to declare that Dan Onorato is neither morally nor politically fit to be Governor.

In addition to trampling on our constitutional rights and violently repressing both protesters and non-protestors alike, Mr. Onorato has, in general, been disastrous for the people of Pittsburgh. He supported the costly and unnecessary North Shore tunnel to service the needs of sports franchise and casino owners while simultaneously raising fares and cutting service to city and county residents who depend on public transportation. While on city council, he was the most vocal opponent of the creation of the Citizen Police Review Board. In general, he has placed the interest of Corporate Pittsburgh above the needs of the people of Pittsburgh.

In a democratic society, one of the means available to the people seeking accountability and justice is the electoral process. We are coming together to use this avenue of civic participation to see to it that Dan Onorato does not become Governor of Pennsylvania. Not in our city - Not in our state - Not in our name!

D.C. trail project embarks on longest mile

D.C. trail project embarks on longest mile: "trail project embarks on longest mile"

Not really.

The trail on the South Side that goes behind the Allegheny County Public Works garage, where they park the trucks that fix the roads, is not a trail at all. It is not complete. It is dangerous. It is right under their nose. Fix that Dan.

Welcome Home Craig

Onorato puts Philly first - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "RETURN OF 'SPOKESBOY.' Our old buddy Craig Kwiecinski, for years the mouthpiece of dour former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, is coming back to town.

Kwiecinski was hired Wednesday by Pittsburgh Public Schools to serve as head flack for Superintendent Mark Roosevelt. He begins his new duties Nov. 1.

Since Murphy left office in 2006, Kwiecinski has worked for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority in Washington, D.C.

Kwiecinski, 36, spent nine years as a Murphy staffer. He was nicknamed 'Spokesboy' by several media types for his youthful-looking face, from which often emerged acerbic responses to reporters' questions.

I never called Mr. Kwiecinski names.

PPS RFPs for 2010 Summer - A for Athlete

PPS RFPs for 2010 Summer - A for Athlete PPS RFPs for 2010 Summer

I've been in a hole working on these four proposals. They were passed into Eddie at Pittsburgh Public Schools on Friday, the day that they were due.

All in all, I'm happy with them. They could be much better, of course. But, they interject a lot of new ideas and discussion points for our city and how we should conduct summer enrichment -- given the bounds of the RFP's call.

Give a glance if you are interested.

Post to my blog or the wiki if you want to ask questions and I'll follow up for all to see.

Your $.03 is welcomed, of course, as always.

Summer 2010 could be an exciting time for summer enrichment for kids going into middle-school grades.

Jack Wagner aims to boost Pennsylvania colleges with scholarship program

Two PA Education articles in today's paper:

Article 1:

Wagner aims to boost Pennsylvania colleges with scholarship program - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Gubernatorial hopeful Jack Wagner pledged Saturday to start a scholarship program to help students who decide to stay in Pennsylvania to attend college."

Article 2:

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment science scores vex educators - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Statewide, fewer than 40 percent of 11th-graders passed the exam, up only slightly from the year before. Fifty-five percent of Pennsylvania eighth-graders passed their version of the test, and 83 percent of fourth-graders passed theirs by logging scores in either a 'proficient' or 'advanced' category."

Will the PA scholarship program lessen the benefit to what the Pittsburgh Promise delivers? Or, does it not really matter because we don't have any belief in politicians nor their promises. Plus, he won't win with planks like that anyway.

Rather than talking at all about college kids in the future, it would be more prudent to talk about how the state does not have a budget and schools today are needing to take a 3rd and 4th dip into their endowment just to stay open. Present tense state folly is killing education in PA on many different levels.

H for Homecoming.

These 18 visit South Side before stepping out downtown!

Rio! Victory!

Folks: please comment at the link if you can.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/victory-chicago-loses-the_b_307995.html
Victory: Chicago Loses the Olympics
By Dave Zirin

I am absolutely reeling with shock that Chicago was knocked out in the first round and the 2016 Olympics are going to Rio de Janeiro. Some quick thoughts about Victoria Brasilia and the Chicago/Daley/Obama humiliation.

1 - This is a victory for the people of Chicago. Pushing back against immense pressure from the Daley political machine, organizations like No Games Chicago went grass roots, corner to corner, and spoke out against the Olympic storm of gentrification, tax hikes, and police misconduct. Certainly one reason the U.S. got the high hat was the lingering bad taste of George W. Bush. The global community, after eight years of sneering contempt from Washington DC, isn’t ready to rinse with the Obama mouthwash.

But it’s the community activists of Chicago who should feel a tremendously gratified. They - along with the millions of Chicagoans who expressed their trepidation in polls - saved their city. They have every right to say with pride, "THAT'S the Chicago way!"

2 - Barack Obama may not be feeling it, but he is the luckiest man alive right now. Yes, President Obama traveled all the way to Copenhagen and didn't even get a lousy t-shirt, but he is damn fortunate it went down like it did. Obama is the first U.S. President to ever appear before the International Olympic Committee and plea for the games. If they had come to the Windy City, it would have been an eight-year distraction and political gold for his opponents. Every time an Olympic project came in late and over budget, every time a scandal hit the tabloids, every time a crime was captured on a cell phone camera it would have been "Obama's Olympic Folly.” Imagine Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck oozing over to Chicago with every blip in the process. It would have all been at best a distraction and at worst, and endless spigot of champagne for his enemies. The person who really has egg on his face is Mayor Richard Daley. He wanted to show everyone he was a bigger man - and mayor - than his Daddy with an Olympic sized stadia to boot. Now expect all the Daley arm-twisting and all the dirty skullduggery in the lead up to both come to light and come home to roost.

3 - This is no time for NIMBY. NIMBY of course means not in my back yard. The No Games Chicago movement has a responsibility right now to do a helluva lot more than just cheer their triumph. Now is the time to stand with the people of Rio. It's no secret why the IOC licked their lips at the thought of Brazil. Like China, Brazil is an emerging market yet to be fully "branded" by global multinationals. They also have a police force that shoots first and asks questions never. Their President Lula, who comes from a radical union background, has clearly shown the decrepit, corrupt, IOC Mafiosi that he is willing to play ball. If history is any kind of a guide, the pain for Brazil's working people is now on the immediate horizon. It's our duty to do whatever we can to express solidarity with the favelas, the landless peasants, and the workers about to stare down the barrel of "Olympism." Our work has just begun.

Now That The G-20 Is Over: Pro Sports In Pittsburgh!

Legendary Tag Team Demolition Shoot For KSWA Gold In Pittsburgh

by Trapper Tom, Ring Announcer/Wrestling Journalist

For the first time in years, former World Wrestling Federation 3-time Tag Team Champions “Demolition” will challenge for tag team gold, and they will lay that claim in Pittsburgh.

On Saturday, October 10, Ax and Smash will descend upon the Lawrenceville Moose and take on the current Keystone State Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Champions—the VIPs—”The Enforcer” Shawn Blanchard and “Dr. Devastation” Lou Martin.

Demolition's appearance was cemented earlier this year when KSWA Owner Bobby O announced that Ax was going to bring his long-time tag team partner with him to face the VIPs. It just so happens that recently Blanchard and Martin secured the championships as part of Millvale Days.

“This is really a coup for us,” said Bobby O, KSWA Owner. “And a great opportunity for Pittsburgh, just a few weeks after the G-20 summit was held here.”

Almost a year ago, Demolition Ax made his return appearance to Pittsburgh. The 30-year veteran is a native of Brownsville, PA who started his professional career in the Steel City. After the initial return, Ax came back on March 28, 2009 to face Blanchard in a match to determine the Number One Contender for the KSWA Heavyweight Championship. Blanchard was victorious by underhanded means. Nevertheless, Ax was inducted into the KSWA Hall of Fame for his career achievements.

After the controversial loss, Ax was banned from the KSWA for hitting fellow KSWA Hall of Famer and VIP Advisor Frank Durso with a folding chair. KSWA Owner Bobby O later re-instated Ax and announced that the reunited Demolition would come to Pittsburgh October 10.

Demolition first appeared in the WWF in 1987 and for a short time was managed by Pittsburgher Johnny Valiant. Later the team was more famously managed by the diabolical Mr. Fuji.

At Wrestlemania IV, on March 27, 1988 Demolition defeated the team of “Strike Force”—Tito Santana and Rick Martel—for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Demolition held the titles until July 29, 1989 when they were defeated by “The Brain Busters”—Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard (no relation). Demolition's first tag team title reign (478 days) remains the longest in WWF history.

On October 2, 1989, Demolition regained the titles from the Brain Busters before losing them to “The Colossal Connection”—of Haku and Andre the Giant on December 13, 1989. As part of Wrestlemania VI on April 1, 1990, Demolition won the titles for the third and final time, beating the Colossal Connection.

After the team dissolved, Ax and Smash went their different ways. However, in the past two years, the duo has re-teamed and sound success around the country.
A shot at the KSWA Tag Team Championship in a major venue such as Pittsburgh could motivate the veterans to once-again claim championship gold.

The VIPs say they are not afraid of Demolition or its legendary success. Shawn Blanchard is also the current and 5-time KSWA Heavyweight Champion, while Lou Martin is a former KSWA Champ and the duo was the KSWA's first tag team champions in 2000.

Demolition vs. the VIPs for the KSWA Tag Team Championship will be the Main Event for Autumn Annihilation, at the Lawrenceville Moose at 120 51st St in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 10, 2009. Also on the card, Golden Triangle Champion Kris Kash, Double-A Anthony Alexander, The Latin Assassin, “King” Del Douglas and many more. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for kids. Card subject to change. For more information or for ticket information, call 412-726-1762 or go to www.kswa.net.

Police use acoustic warfare to disperse crowds - quote from Catherine

Catherine Palmer, director of audiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said 140 decibels can cause immediate hearing loss. But there's no way to know if anyone was exposed to sounds that loud without knowing how far away they were, she said.

Catherine is my wife.

Research and testing on these sound machines should be done by someone at Pitt. I don't think we've heard the last of this.

Full article:

Police use acoustic warfare to disperse crowds By JOE MANDAK, AP

PITTSBURGH — Police ordered protesters to disperse at the Group of 20 summit last week with a device that can beam earsplitting alarm tones and verbal instructions that the manufacturer likens to a "spotlight of sound," but that legal groups called potentially dangerous.

The device, called a Long Range Acoustic Device, concentrates voice commands and a car alarm-like sound in a 30- or 60-degree cone that can be heard nearly two miles away. It is about two feet square and mounted on a swivel such that one person can point it where it's needed. The volume measures 140-150 decibels three feet away — louder than a jet engine — but dissipates with distance.

Robert Putnam, spokesman for the manufacturer, San Diego-based American Technology Corp., said it's "like a big spotlight of sound that you can shine on people."

"It's not a sonic cannon. It's not the death ray or anything like that," Putnam said. "It's about long-range communications being heard intelligibly."

During the Pittsburgh protests, police used the device to order demonstrators to disperse and to play a high-pitched "deterrent tone" designed to drive people away. It was the first time the device was used in a riot-control situation on U.S. soil, according to American Technology and police.

Those who heard it said authorities' voice commands were clear and sounded as if they were coming from everywhere all at once. They described the "deterrent tone" as unbearable.

Joel Kupferman, who was at Thursday's march as a legal observer for the National Lawyer's Guild, said he was overwhelmed by the tone and called it "overkill."

"When people were moving and they still continued to use it, it was an excessive use of weaponry," Kupferman said.

Witold "Vic" Walczak, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union in Pennsylvania, said the device is a military weapon capable of producing permanent hearing loss, something he called "an invitation to an excessive-force lawsuit."

The operator of the device is usually behind it and not in the path of the focused beam of sound.

Catherine Palmer, director of audiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said 140 decibels can cause immediate hearing loss. But there's no way to know if anyone was exposed to sounds that loud without knowing how far away they were, she said.

Putnam and public safety officials said the complaints prove the device worked as designed.

"You have to put your hands over your ears and cover them, and it's difficult to throw stuff," said Ray DeMichiei, deputy director of the city's emergency management agency.

Police said they used the device last Thursday to issue prerecorded warnings to disperse when hundreds of demonstrators, including self-described anarchists, without a protest permit held a march that threatened to turn violent.

Aware of concerns about the volume, police were careful to use it about 12 feet off the ground mounted on a tactical vehicle, so no individual would be directly in its path or too close to it, Assistant Chief William Bochter said.

"The only way anybody gets hurt is if the deterrent is on full blast and they stand directly in front of it," Putnam said.

A regional counterterror task force bought four of the devices from American Technology using $101,000 in federal Homeland Security funds, DeMichiei said. Because the amplified message was prerecorded, police could be sure the protesters heard exactly the instructions police desired and have confidence those in the back of the crowd could hear, Bochter said.

Such devices also have military and commercial applications. Putnam said the primary purpose is to transmit specific orders loudly and clearly.

They have been used against protesters overseas, and police in New York threatened to use one during demonstrations near the Republican National Convention in 2004.

He said the city of San Diego uses them to instruct people to leave large sections of beach after festivals. It has also been used in SWAT operations.

In military applications, it allows ships to hail approaching vessels and determine their intent, the company says. Cargo ships use them to tell pirates that they had been spotted. When the pirates know they have lost the element of surprise, they will not attack, Putnam said.

Putnam said those complaining about the device have probably exposed themselves to sounds nearly as loud at rock concerts, and for longer periods of time. Walczak, the ACLU attorney, isn't buying the analogy.

"People don't flee the front row of a rock concert. Why would they be fleeing here?" Walczak asked. "Because it's loud, it's painfully loud."

Titus North, former candidate for Mayor and US Congress on the Pitt situation on the G-20 weekend

Friday night in Oakland was clear proof that the government is simply trying to get us used to living in a police state. It had nothing to do with protecting property. The dispersal order was coming from Schenley Plaza, where there is no property to protect other than the grass. I was watching from in front of the library when the dispersal order came at about 10:45. The kids dispersed. The left the "immediate vicinity," as ordered by police. Some went to the Cathedral lawn, where they were arrested. Some went down by O's, where they were sprayed. Some when back to the dorms, which the police tried to raid only to be stopped by the University Police. I know some of the kids who were arrested and I can guarantee that the ones I know didn't riot after the Superbowl or leave broken beer bottles in the street. The party kids and the political kids are two different tribes.
On Friday night there were no G-20 leaders in the neighborhood to protect. Schenley Plaza was still open. The kids there weren't acting unlawfully. What made it an "unlawful assembly" other than an arbitrary and baseless decision by the police? Why should the students who disperse but continue to watch from a block or two away be subject to arrest? Why should people who have come to the perimeter only to witness and record events be pepper sprayed? This was a simple matter of getting people to accept arbitrary curtailments of their freedoms. It had nothing to do with the kids' behavior or even their politics. Police broke up an orderly anti-Fed demonstration in the Strip District also.

Giving the police arbitrary powers to prevent us from assembling and to arrest anyone who watches them should not be one of the demands of a "pro freedom" movement.

Titus

Saturday's police pinch

Bram is still scratching his head wondering about the most serious injury or serious few injuries sustained by protesters/students on Friday night.

--

Where to begin? ....

The constitution got its ass kicked.

The oath of office taken by the police bullies got its eyes smoked.

The trust in the mayor, county executive and chief got toasted.

My rights and their rights as well as your rights are intimately linked.

The loss of rights of a single student is a serious loss to us all.

I wasn't there. But I care. Those rights are my rights too.

Windows can be replaced. Property has cash values that can be measured. But there is a different kind of damage done by the police then, there, that holds no price tag. That damage cut very deeply.

We all lost plenty. As this unfolds, we may never be the same again.

Greenpeace response to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh - 7thSpace Interactive

Greenpeace response to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh - 7thSpace Interactive: "Greenpeace today called on leaders of the industrialised world to match rhetoric on climate change with action"

Bravo to The Sassy Republican for getting this military body snatcher understood

The Sassy Republican: "Pittsburgh G20 'Kinapped' Person Revealed

Has everyone now put this to rest. It was real, mostly.

Well done Sassy One!

Hi Ed!

Luke should buy this women a new pair of pants.

Oakland need not look like this.



I'm not sure it this was today. I think it wasn't.

Notes to Fred Honz Man of KDKA Radio - REDRESS

Ever been IN a PARADE, with a permit, and try to hand out politcal materials?

Baloons (full of hot air) don't count as political lit to me.

I marched with Russ Diamond, PA candidate for Governor on 4th of July at a few area parades and you should have seen the 'authorities' then -- trying not to have head's explode.

Be real Fred.

BTW, G20 protestors who have Fed loans for college should be IN SCHOOL -- not tossed out. They've got lots to learn yet.

Ed, a KDKA caller, gave a bogus civics lesson on the air saying that there is no constitutional right to have a revolution. What?

The caller before was saying that the Minutemen didn't need a blasted permit to hold a protest nor revolution. The caller was worked up about all the laws now and need for permits, must have health insurance, etc.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

That final part, to petition the government for a redress is the right to toss a revolution without the need for a permit. The redress is to say the emperor has no clothes -- needs a redress, needs a reform. Citizens can take the government down and out as a full redress.

G20 Sports Opportunity at CMU for Women - Soccer Pitch Needs You

Orginal post from 9 am on September 24, 2000. Updated below:

Larry Evans, friend, Mt. Lebo guy, soccer and sports person, organizer from way back, sent this message and could use some helpers / players / running mates for a G-20 sports cooperative venture -- right away.

We're looking for players for an intergenerational coed team which will compete in a friendly (and publicized) symbolic soccer match this Friday morning 10 am to noon, September 25 at the CMU Stadium field versus an squad from Iran (persian). Their pick-up team is made up of 10 women (ages 22-27) and 5 fellas (their coaches).

This match will be played rain or shine to highlight women's rights during the ongoing G20 Conference.

Soccer competence need not be very high. The team formed just this past month for the purposes of this symbolic game.

The CMU playing field, the site for the game, was just obtained today. This game was originally scheduled for this Friday evening at Schenley Park as part of an International Citizen Athlete SoccerFest but was cancelled weeks ago over G20 permitting issues. Some sorority and intramural soccer players at CMU have already expressed interest, but some veteran help is most welcomed. This was another injury in the permit process.

So, you can go play soccer on Friday, go to The Great Race Expo on Saturday and run in The Great Race on Sunday.

So, if you want to play, and you are in high school or older, then you should send an email to Larry Evans, cell = 412-445-2951, leifevans@comcast.net. Tell him your name and where you are from and what position(s) you'd prefer to play. Larry will insert your name into a quick line-up / program.

You can play in sneakers or spikes. The squad from Iran is wearing green, so don't wear green, unless you want to cheer for them on the sidelines. Other colors are fine -- colors of the world. Better to wear shin guards and tall socks too. The World Team will wear yellow pennies unless a better offer / uniform can be delivered in time for the game.

I don't think the soccer players would want to wear water polo caps, so I can't really help.

Update:

Mark Rauterkus and event organizer, Larry Evans.


Player photo after the game. The world team won, 5 to 2.

September 28, 2009

Iranian Solidarity Soccer Match at CMU

Wrap-Up

A friendly coed soccer game was brilliantly played this Friday morning, September 25th at 10am-Noon at Carnegie Mellon University’s Stadium. A Persian team - wearing green to show their solidarity with the Iranian reform movement was coached by Arash Farsi, a graduate student from CMU. They fought gamely against a Pittsburgh team made up of student women and adult men players from all over Western PA and coached by Larry Evans. Pittsburgh won 5-2 in an 80 minute match officiated by veteran referee Frank Correnti.

The spirited event was organized by Citizen Athlete Games, Organizing for America, the Persian Panthers, a Persian Student Organization and the University of Pittsburgh-Iranian Cultural Organization. The match’s symbolic intent was to highlight Iran’s situation after its rigged presidential election during the excitement and madness of the G20 Conference.
The Persian team’s flag and banner waving supporters chanted UNITED FOR IRAN and DEMOCRACY IN IRAN throughout the contest while Yinzer team fans just stuck with their old chestnut “RAH RAH REE, KICK ‘EM IN THE KNEE. RAH, RAH, RASS, KICK ‘EM IN THE OTHER KNEE. No G20 celebrities viewed the game unless possibly from one of the many fly-over helicopters buzzing around the Oakland demonstrations. Although invited to kick out the first ball and thus use the universal body language of soccer to send a message to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an very busy President Obama instead chose to deal with the increased tensions with Iran by issuing some stern words at the G20 Conference. Oh well, Barack’s bad.

The Game rosters:

Persia

Hassan Takabi - Goal Keeper
Christina Colosimo - Defender
Amirreza Masoumzadeh - Defender
Elham Khatami - Defender
Sarah Gad - Defender
Amir Soltani - Defender
Gaby Vargas - Midfielder
Matt Falzon - Midfielder
Somayeh Nassiri - Midfielder
Sepehr Nemati - Midfielder
Diana Gomez - Striker
Anahita Khojandi - Striker
Jaime Tupino - Striker
Kerri Gatti - Striker
Coral Wright - Striker
Arash Farsi - Coach


Pittsburgh

Kurt Lesker III – Wing
Kurt Lesker IV - Left Fullback
Richard Papp - Midfield
Mike Page - Forward
Dan Rogan - Right Fullback
Dave Paschel - Goalie
Len Scheinman – Stopper
Miriam Feiler – Striker
Kate Smith – Wing
Ian McIntyre - Sweeper
Mark Rauterkus - Midfield
Larry Evans – Coach/Midfield

Pondering Schools

Just posted this to a thread at Pure Reform Blog about the seven year sub who was denied a job by the guy at the top -- who now is on vacation too.

Agree: Pgh citizens are quite, by and large, apathetic on many areas of our community life.

Agree: Fear is a big factor that can silence and freeze actions. Blow back is real. Stepping out of line often comes with dire consequences for you, your ideas and worst of all, others associated with you, such as your children.


Beyond fear, another factor to help explain and understand the landscape is 'division.' Divide and conquer. One family I know has three kids in high school and all are in different schools, yet all are public schools.

Pittsburgh is a city of bridges, because we need those structures. Our social landscape needs more bridges too, so that the divisions among a H-U-G-E district can be more easily navigated.

Thank goodness for the PURE REFORM blog, as it is one such bridge to help soften the large and often fractured communities of the PPS.

Meanwhile, how many high schools are in Jefferson Hills? The size of the district plays a hand in their capacity to make demands from powered positions.

And, IMHO, finally, if PPS ever got a grip on its real issues and built trust (without yanking families around so) -- the outward migration would reverse.

Pittsburgh's Freedom Conference 2009 - Protest of Knowledge - Prior to the G-20

The Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh helped to sponsor this event. It made me proud -- and -- it made many think again about what the heck is going on with our world, financial concerns, the G-20, freedom, the Federal Reserve, Central Banking, IMF, and so forth.

Part 1 has an intro from Tom. Then comes Dimitri Vassilaros to introduce the speaker(s). First up: Joan Veon. Running time about 52 minutes.



Part 2:



Part 3: The best is last, of course.

Obama, Chicago, Protestors, Olympics

Olympics in Chicago: 'Obama's Folly'?

By Dave Zirin

Recently Barack Obama criticized planned protests at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh because, as he knew from his Chicago days, "focusing on concrete, local, immediate issues that have an impact on people's lives is what really makes a difference and...having protests about abstractions [such] as global capitalism or something, generally, is not really going to make much of a difference."

Well, on September 29 at Chicago's City Hall a protest will take place that will focus on a "concrete, local, immediate issue," putting the protesters across the barricades from Barack and Michelle Obama as well as the all-powerful Democratic political machine of the city. The issue is the 2016 Olympic bid and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's political pact with the Obamas to see the Games come to the Windy City. Mayor Daley, rocking a 35 percent approval rating, says that the Games would be "a huge boost to our economy, raising it to a new level. The Games will help us recover sooner from the recession that still grips our nation and enable us to better compete in the global economy."

There is only one problem with this argument: the history of the Olympic Games almost without exception brands it as a lie.

In fact, the very idea that Chicago could be the setting for the Olympics could have been hatched by Jon Stewart for a four-year supply of comedic fodder. To greater or lesser degrees, the Olympics bring gentrification, graft and police violence wherever they nest. Even without the Olympic Games, Chicago has been ground zero in the past decade for the destruction of public housing (gentrification), political corruption (it ain't just Blagojevich; I can't remember the last Illinois governor who didn't end up behind bars) and police violence (the death row torture scandals). Bringing the Olympics to this town would be like sending a gift basket filled with chardonnay to the Betty Ford Clinic: overconsumption followed by disaster.

It's also difficult for Chicago residents to see how this will help their pocketbooks, given that Daley pledged to the International Olympic Committee that any cost overruns would be covered by taxpayers.

This is why a staggering 84 percent of the city opposes bringing the Games to Chicago.

The Obamas, former Chicago residents, should be standing with their city. Instead, Michelle Obama is preparing a presentation for the International Olympic Committee's decision-making meeting in Copenhagen on October 2. And amid a roiling national debate on healthcare, President Obama may also be there to join his wife in the effort. As No Games Chicago Organizer Tom Tresser said to me, "Why would Obama, who has so far escaped the taint of Chicago politics, connect himself to the mayor's obsession? If we get the Games, and then the scandals start unfolding--they will be 'Obama's Games' and 'Obama's folly' just as much as the mayor will be saddled with the blame.... Why would the president turn his back on 84 percent of the city that gave him his start in civic life?"

But we shouldn't be surprised at this point that Obama is tin-eared to the concerns of Chicago residents. As Paul Krugman wrote September 20 on the banker bonuses, "the administration has suffered more than it seems to realize from the perception that it's giving taxpayers' hard-earned money away to Wall Street."

Shoveling taxpayers' money into the Olympic maw is no better, especially in these tough times. The people of Chicago are feeling this acutely, and it's why they are going out to protest against the will of a ruthless political machine and a popular president.

No Games Chicago organizer Alison McKenna said, "I oppose the Olympics coming to Chicago because instead of putting money toward what people really need, money will be funneled to real estate developers who will be tearing down Washington Park and other important community resources. I oppose the Olympics coming to Chicago because the nonprofit child-welfare agency that I work for had to sustain budget cuts and layoffs, while Chicago has spent $48.2 million on the 2016 Olympic bid, as of July 2009."

At this point in history, the right wing is shamelessly adopting populist rhetoric and the power of protest to sell an agenda of racism and fear wrapped in taxpayer protection. The left looks immobilized and fears that its man in Washington will be offended if it raises more than a peep (the LGBT community being a welcome exception to this dynamic). The protest on September 29 will be an ideal opportunity to offer a pole of attraction on the left for people furious at corporate greed amid a recession. Glenn Beck and Ron Paul cannot become the loudest voices against corporate greed.

There is nothing "abstract" about what the Olympics will do to Chicago. Obama likes to talk about the political tenacity of the Chicago Way. Olympic opponents will need to bring their version of the "Chicago Way" to City Hall.

[Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.]

Update

Update

Please post comments at the link. The Olympic-lovers are on the attack on the comments boards!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/obamas-olympic-error_b_302025.html
Obama’s Olympic Error

UPDATED

By Dave Zirin

President Barack Obama is now en route to Copenhagen in an effort to sell Chicago as the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics. In the process, he may be selling Chicago down the river. Obama is joined arm-in-arm with his wife Michelle on one side and Mayor Richard Daley's Chicago political machine on the other. Michelle Obama says, "My father was disabled, and I think what it would have meant for him to see someone in his shoes compete. Kids need to see that and that needs to be celebrated just as much, if not more." This seems more like an argument to support the Paralympics (a tremendous event) but that's beside the point. Michelle Obama should perhaps realize that if the Olympics had come to Chicago when she was a young girl on Chicago's working class south side, her home may have been torn down to make way for an Olympic facility. No word on how being out of house and home would have helped her disabled father.

Mayor Daley, rocking a 35 percent approval rating, says that the Games would be "a huge boost to our economy, raising it to a new level. The Games will help us recover sooner from the recession that still grips our nation and enable us to better compete in the global economy."

There is only one problem with this argument: the history of the Olympic Games almost without exception brands it as a lie. As Sports Illustrated's Michael Fish - an Olympic supporter - has written, "You stage a two-week athletic carnival and, if things go well, pray the local municipality isn't sent into financial ruin."
In fact, the very idea that Chicago could be an appropriate setting for the Olympics might have been hatched by Jon Stewart for a four-year supply of comedic fodder. To greater or lesser degrees, the Olympics bring gentrification, graft and police violence wherever they nest. Even without the Olympic Games, Chicago has been ground zero in the past decade for the destruction of public housing, political corruption raised to an art form, and police violence. Bringing the Olympics to this town would be like sending a gift basket filled with bottles of Jim Beam to the Betty Ford Clinic: over-consumption followed by disaster.

It's also difficult for Chicago residents to see how this will help their pocketbooks, given that Daley pledged to the International Olympic Committee that any cost overruns would be covered by taxpayers.

This is why a staggering 84 percent of the city opposes bringing the Games to Chicago if it costs residents a solitary dime. Even if the games were to go off without a hitch - which would happen only if the setting was lovely Shangri-La - not even half the residents would support hosting the Games.

The Obamas, former Chicago residents, should be standing with their city. Instead, we have the sight of Barack, Michelle, and Oprah trying to outmuscle Pele and Brazil for a place at the Olympic trough. The question is why. Maybe Obama wants the Olympic fairy dust enjoyed by Ronald Reagan at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles or Bill Clinton at the 1996 games in Atlanta. Or perhaps he is returning favor to the developers and other sundry connected people in the Windy City who will make out like bandits once the smoke has cleared. But his intentions are clear: he wants the glitz, glamour, and prestige of the games and he wants it for the Daley machine. What the people of Chicago want doesn't seem to compute.


But we shouldn't be surprised at this point that Obama is tin-eared to the concerns of Chicago residents. As Paul Krugman wrote Sept. 20 on the banker bonuses, "the administration has suffered more than it seems to realize from the perception that it's giving taxpayers' hard-earned money away to Wall Street." Shoveling taxpayers' money into the Olympic maw is no better, especially in these tough times.

No Games Chicago organizer Alison McKenna said to me, "I oppose the Olympics coming to Chicago because instead of putting money toward what people really need, money will be funneled to real estate developers who will be tearing down Washington Park and other important community resources. I oppose the Olympics coming to Chicago because the nonprofit child-welfare agency that I work for had to sustain budget cuts and layoffs, while Chicago has spent $48.2 million on the 2016 Olympic bid, as of July 2009."

There is an urgency to building resistance to these kinds of priorities. Right now, the right wing is shamelessly adopting populist rhetoric and the power of protest to sell an agenda of racism and fear wrapped in taxpayer protection. The big public voice against Obama's trip to Copenhagen has been the repellent RNC chief Michael Steele who believes, and this is hilarious, that "At a time of war and recession" Obama needs to stay home. It shouldn't be a scoundrel like Steele who represents a party of privatization and occupation who delivers that message. Now is the time to build a pole of attraction on the left for people furious at corporate greed amidst a recession. This needs to happen, and not just for the Windy City. It's about building a vibrant protest movement that believes in social justice not the rank divisiveness of the right. Obama likes to say that change comes from "outside Washington." It's time to take him at his word.

[Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com .]

Conservatives chime in on global money ills in G-20 precursor

I was there. It was a great event. I've got it on video too. Stay tuned.

Conservatives chime in on global money ills in G-20 precursor - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Conservatives chime in on global money ills in G-20 precursor by By Mike Wereschagin of the Trib

Railing against the G-20: It's not just for liberals anymore.

"You don't have to be a socialist to be concerned about the G-20," said Thomas Woods, one of three speakers at Freedom Conference 2009, a conservative forum billed as a "free-market alternative to the G-20."

The event Tuesday night attracted about 100 people to Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland.

"They tell us no one could've predicted" the global economic crisis, said Woods, an author and economist. "There were people who did predict and, by and large, it was free-market economists who predicted it."

Sounding at times like marchers who have been protesting the Group of 20 economic summit since Sunday, speakers and attendees repeatedly blamed "the system" for creating the recession and saving only the wealthy and well-connected.

"We agree on what's wrong. We don't agree on the right way to fix it," said Tom Kawczynski, president of the Republican Assembly of Greater Pittsburgh. One of the organizing groups, the assembly is not part of the official local party structure but touts itself as the "Republican wing of the Republican Party."

"This system attracts predators," said author and activist G. Edward Griffin. "They call themselves statesmen, but they are predators."

Others warned that huge debt owed to central banks around the world has created a behind-the-scenes government to which elected leaders are beholden.

"The countries of the world owe the banks 67 percent of their GDP," said Joan Veon, founder of the Women's International Media Group and another speaker. "This is what we call world government."

Tribune-Review columnist Dimitri Vassilaros served as master of ceremonies.

Woods blamed the Federal Reserve and other central financial institutions -- the World Bank and International Monetary Fund among them - for the depth of the recession.

"We can talk about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but that's small potatoes to the Federal Reserve," Woods said.

Disconnecting U.S. currency from the gold standard allowed the congressionally created bank to manipulate interest rates by printing more money whenever it wanted, he said. That kept interest rates too low and ended the post-dot-com recession before the market could correct itself, he said. "The system contributes to this problem."

Melina Brajovic, 42, an attendee from Blawnox, gathered signatures for a petition asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring to the floor a bill, sponsored by Libertarian hero and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve.

"We need to bring our currency back to the gold standard," said Brajovic, who immigrated to the United States in 1985 from Serbia.

Among her signatories was Mike Ott, 48, of Hampton.

"I believe we should audit the Federal Reserve and take back the right to print our own money," Ott said. He called the nation's central banking authority "unconstitutional" and "morally wrong."

The forum was organized by a coalition of conservative groups looking for an excuse to get together. The G-20 summit provided that excuse, Kawczynski said.

"The entire world has come to talk of what will be, and we know we need to be a voice in these discussions," Kawczynski said.

While liberal groups march against the G-20's role in promoting international trade and globalization, the Freedom Conference's problem with the gathering is that world leaders are putting too many restrictions on trade.

"Look at carbon caps," Kawczynski said, referring to proposals being discussed among world leaders to limit countries' carbon emissions. "They're creating a market, putting a price on something you didn't have to pay for before."

Liberals have blamed the bank collapses and home foreclosures on free-market excesses, while the conservatives said the blame lies with government meddling in the market, mostly through its monetary policy.

"It doesn't matter what race you are. It doesn't matter what class you are. Bad monetary policy affects you," said Herman Bauer, 25, of Mt. Oliver Borough.

Bauer worries policies such as the 2008 bank bailouts and 2009 stimulus package required the Federal Reserve to print so much money, the dollar was emptied of its value.

"I definitely think the worst is yet to come," Bauer said. "The dollar is completely devalued."

Bailing out financial firms whose risky behavior led to the global credit crisis last year encourages entrepreneurs who are "crazy, risk-prone drunkards, basically," Woods said.

Distrust of the Fed runs so deep, Bauer insinuated it is responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy, who he said was the "last president that seriously worked to get us off the Federal Reserve."

To do it over again - boys -- be dancers!

Tonight, Tuesday, see you at Soldiers & Sailors Hall in Oakland.

The educational event begins at 7 pm. Arrive earlier to mingle. See FreedomConference2009.com

ONE campaign to hold a panel discussion on Wednesday afternoon. It will be at the University of Pittsburgh and offer a variety of perspectives on the G-20 response to the global economic crisis and the challenges ahead, with a focus on the well-being of the world’s poor. Participants in the panel include current and former senior officials, plus leading experts and advocates for global poverty reduction. Sponsored by the Center for Global Development, the ONE campaign, and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Threat of shark attacks doesn't deter new host Sydney - Universal Sports

Threat of shark attacks doesn't deter new host Sydney - Universal Sports: "'They can't eat us all.'"

The Port of Pittsburgh Commission

Can you canoe? Not here then.

The Port of Pittsburgh Commission: "No person, vessel, article, or thing shall enter into, depart from, or move within the security zone unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Pittsburgh or his authorized representative.

WTF

Monday Morning Quarterbacking the city's leadership.

Permit snafus strike first marches: "At a march for jobs yesterday in the Hill District, police delayed the event at one point, claiming the protesters didn't have a valid permit, even though they did.
The convention center bypass 'isn't private property, it's public property. It's a through street, and they had a permit,' he said.
'The more distressing thing for me is that the first two demonstrations that were the subject of a federal court lawsuit got bungled by the police, and bungled in a way that they tried to restrict activity. It's either sheer incompetence or something more insidious. It's one or the other, and neither is very flattering.'"

The guys in robes make rules that the guys in blue need to know about and obey. Otherwise, people get disjointed in their actions. This is big trouble for the mayor and county executive. The buck stops there with them.