From:Subject: [MoveOnPgh] ~ Peace Activists Extend an Olive Branch to the Tea Party to Talk about War
Instead of fighting against each other, people of all political parties should work together, fighting the corporations, for what is most important to us all:
Stop endless wars and militarism
Stop the bankers and Wall Street from robbing the people
Stop corporate control of our government
Stop election fraud
Stop the Federal Reserve from charging taxpayers interest on money they create out of nothing
Peace Activists Extend an Olive Branch to the Tea Party to Talk about War | Take Action | AlterNet
Tea Partiers who are furious at government spending and soaring deficits should take a hard look at what is the biggest sinkhole of our tax dollars: Pentagon spending.
On Tax Day, Tea Party members from around the country will descend on the nation's capitol to "protest big government and support lower taxes, less government and more freedom." CODEPINK, a women-led peace group advocating an end to war and militarism, will be sending some representatives to begin a dialogue. While we come from the opposite end of the political spectrum and don't support the goals and tactics of the Tea Party, there is an area where we are seeking common ground, i.e. endless wars and militarism.
As Tea Partiers express their anger at out-of-control government spending and soaring deficits, we will ask them to take a hard look at what is, by far, the biggest sinkhole of our tax dollars: Pentagon spending. With the Obama administration proposing the largest military budget ever, topping $700 billion not including war supplementals, the U.S. government is now spending almost as much on the military as the rest of the world combined.
Perhaps the Tea Party and peace folks--unlikely allies--can agree that one way to shrink big government is to rein in military spending. Here are some questions to get the conversation going:
At the Southern Republican Leadership Conference on April 10, Cong. Ron Paul -- who has a great following within the Tea Party -- chided both conservatives and liberals for their profligate spending on foreign military bases, occupations and maintaining an empire. "We're running out of money," he warned. "All empires end for financial reasons, and that is what the markets are telling us today. We can do better with peace than with war." Do you agree with Congressman Paul on this?
Every taxpayer has already spent, on average, a staggering $7,367 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (costofwar.com). Obama is now sending another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, with a price tag of one million dollars per soldier per year. Opposition to these wars ranges from liberal Cong. Dennis Kucinich and conservative Tea Party leader Sheriff Richard Mack. During a Congressional vote to end the war in Afghanistan that was defeated but got bipartisan support, Rep. Dennis Kucinich said, "Nearly 1000 U.S. soldiers have died. And for what? Hundreds of billions spent. And for what? To make Afghanistan safe for crooks, drug dealers and crony capitalism?" Do you think Congress should turn off the war spigot and bring out troops home?
The Cold War has been over for 20 years, yet the U.S. government maintains 800-plus bases around the world with troops stationed in 148 countries and 11 territories. Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan asks, "How we can justify borrowing hundreds of billions yearly from Europe, Japan and the Gulf states -- to defend Europe, Japan and the Arab Gulf states? Is it not absurd to borrow hundreds of billions annually from China -- to defend Asia from China?" Should we begin to dismantle this global web of bases?
Far and away the largest recipient of US foreign aid is Israel, a wealthy country that gets $3 billion a year from Uncle Sam with no strings attached and no accountability. We also give the repressive Egyptian government over a billion dollars a year to buy their support for a Middle East peace plan that is going nowhere. Are you in favor of continuing this taxpayer largesse to Israel and Egypt?
An area where Pentagon spending has mushroomed is the payment of private security contractors. While many soldiers who risk their lives for their country struggle to support their families, private security company employees can pocket as much as $1,000 a day. High pay for contract workers in war zones burdens taxpayers and saps military morale. Moreover, military officers in the field have said contractors often operate like "cowboys," using unnecessary and excessive force that has undermined our reputation overseas. Cong. Jan Schakowsky introduced the Stop Outsourcing Security Act that would phase out private security contractors in war zones. Do you support that?
Experts on the left and the right say we could cut our military budget by 25%, including closing foreign bases, winding down the wars, and ending obsolete weapons systems, without jeopardizing our security. Do you agree? If we could make significant cuts to the military budget, how should those funds be reallocated? To pay down the debt? Increase security at home? Rebuild our infrastructure? Stimulate the economy through tax breaks?
We are not naive to think that it would be easy for the Tea Party and the peace movement to work together. Our core values are different. We have had our battles in the past. We would certainly part ways in terms of how to redirect Pentagon funds, with progressives wanting more government investment in healthcare, jobs, clean energy and education--which is exactly what the Tea Party opposes.
But building peace means reaching out to the other side and trying to find common ground even with those people whose beliefs contradict so many of our own. If the Tea Party is really against runaway government spending, then certainly we can work together to cut a slice out of the military pork that is bankrupting our nation. In extending the olive branch to talk about war, the conversation can hopefully be enlightening on other issues as well, such as banks run amok and undue corporate control of our government.
Who knows what kind of potent brew could emerge when folks on the left and the right--both alienated by a two-party system that doesn't meet our needs--sit down for tea?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tea Party and Olive Branch
Mark Crowley's LTE @ North Shore Under River Tunnel
I had a LTE in my local weekly (Plum) today (4/15/2010) about Pittsburgh's North Shore Connector. We've discussed this disaster in Libertarian Pittsburgh posts long ago, but a local field trip article encouraged me to write. I'm glad they printed it, but I didn't like their editing. Here's the LTE as-submitted with the omitted parts in [bold].
Mark
Plum Advance Leader
Connector a symbol for poor government spending
April 15, 2010
Dear Editor:
While there's merit exposing students to engineering projects ("Plum High School students go underground for a look at Connector", Karen Zapf, 4/1/2010), there's a cruel irony in that [April 1st] piece.
The Connector, an admirable engineering accomplishment, is a classic example of a misguided, wasteful use of public money.
Politicians from Tom Murphy to Rick Santorum to Ed Rendell promoted it. Costs increased from $363 million in 2003 to $552 million today. It consumed limited resources, denying better uses. ["Even Governor Rendell eventually admitted, "I guess you've got to finish it, but it's a tragic mistake."]
Other tragic mistakes -- insane wars, punishing success with taxes, rewarding failure with bailouts, and buying votes with walking-around money, federal earmarks and entitlements -- have far costlier consequences.
State and local governments are $3 trillion in debt. The national debt tops $12 trillion. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and federal pension obligations exceed $100 trillion. The dollar's value fell 10% in the past 12 months and is going down.
The cruel irony is that when those students stood in that hole beneath the Allegheny River, it was an inescapable metaphor for the hole in which their generation was placed.
Mark Crowley, Plum
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Fwd: Steel-City Stonewall Democrats
Click on the name of an endorsed or recommended candidate to find out
more about their campaign and volunteering.
more about their campaign and volunteering.
Pittsburgh, PA - For Immediate Release – SCSD 2010 Pennsylvania
Primary Endorsement Results
Steel-City Stonewall Democrats ("SCSD") held its annual Endorsement
Event on March 28th at the Hyde Park restaurant on the Northside of
Pittsburgh. In attendance were over 100 members and candidates, making
for an electric atmosphere throughout the day. "This year Steel-City
had more candidates competing for its endorsement than ever before,
which shows a growing commitment by candidates in this region of the
Commonwealth to provide equality for all Pennsylvanians," said SCSD
President Dana Elmendorf.
At the event members were able to vote for endorsements in statewide
and local races. Candidates who were Strongly Endorsed by the club
are: Arlen Specter for U.S. Senate, Mike Doyle for U.S. House of
Representatives in the 14th Congressional District, Dan Connolly for
U.S. House of Representatives in the 18th Congressional District, and
Jonathan A. Saidel for Lt. Governor. Wayne Fontana was Strongly
Endorsed for the Pennsylvania Senate's 42nd District. In Pennsylvania
House races, Strongly Endorsed Candidates are Dan Frankel in the 23rd
District, Chelsa Wagner in the 22nd, and Jake Wheatley in the 19th.
Other candidates under consideration did not achieve a clear majority
of the support from voting members, but were top vote-getters in their
respective races, so those candidates receive a designation of
Recommended from the club.
Mark Purcell is Recommended for the State House in the 20th District.
In the race for the Governor's office, vote was tied between Joe
Hoeffel and Dan Onorato, each receiving an equal number of votes.
During his speech, Joe Hoeffel cited his steadfast support for issues
such as marriage equality and his commitment to a woman's right to
choose. Dan Onorato, the Allegheny County executive stood by his
record of advancing LGBT rights locally, including the passage of the
County Human Relations ordinance.
"Because the voting membership decides whom to endorse, the SCSD board
of Directors will let stand the tie vote, with both Hoeffel and
Onorato Recommended in the May Primary," commented Janis Williams, a
Political Committee volunteer.
"The Steel-City Stonewall Democrats would like to thank its members
and volunteers and all of the Candidates who sought our endorsement
for making this year's event a great success. Special thanks to SCSD
members: Janis Williams for volunteering to manage the endorsement
event, Chris Eckles for volunteering to set up the sound equipment and
Thomas Waters for videoing the candidates. As an organization we are
always thrilled when we can continue to bring more people into the
political process. To that end, we would like to remind everyone who
participated in this event to vote in the Primary on May 18, 2010."
###
Per official procedures of the organization, Candidates will receive a
"Strong Endorsement" if they receive 50%+1 of the vote of the
membership in attendance. We will also acknowledge with a "Recommended
Endorsement" those candidates who, while not making the 50%+1
threshold, were top vote getters in their respective races. This
allows members to offer endorsements in races with multiple candidates
seeking the endorsement.
Click the link below for videos, raw numbers, & pics from the
Endorsement Gathering:
http://stonewalldemocrats.org/steel-city/node/1053
Completed questionnaires from all the above the candidates are posted
in the news archive of www.steel-city.org
To become a member of Steel-City Stonewall Democrats and National
Stonewall Democrats, click the link below:
http://stonewalldemocrats.org/steel-city/contribute
________________________________
April 19th 2010 is the LAST day to register vote in time for the May
18th, 2010 Pennsylvania Primary
Click the link below to register to vote
http://www.votespa.com/portal/server.pt/community/register_to_vote/13518
________________________________
And last but not least:
Joanne Bostjanick & Lee Marcuzzi cordially invite you to their 3rd
Annual Desserts For Democrats
April 25th, 2 - 4 PM
Come and enjoy great deserts,
rub elbows with gay friendly candidates
and have a lovely afternoon.
1343 Sharps Hill Road
Pittsburgh PA 15215
For more info click the link to the Facebook page below:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114962591851676&ref=mf
Fw: Greens & Libertarians Condemn Decision in PA Ballot Access Lawsuit
This is big news. When I stood for office I went to Harrisburg and to court. I had a first hand account of the bonusgate slime from my PA senator, Wayne Fontana, and the guy wearing a robe. My fight put me on very thin ice and I had to be prudent.
This needs to be fixed. Our democratic process is frail. This is a major key to our salvation of a state.
This needs to be fixed. Our democratic process is frail. This is a major key to our salvation of a state.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
From: media-relations@lppa.org
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:32:34 -0500
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: Greens & Libs Condemn Decision in Ballot Access Lawsuit
April 15, 2010
Attention: News Editor
For Immediate Release
Contact:
I.K. Samways, Green Party of PA Chair, 412-215-9161, isamways@aol.com
Steve Baker, Green Party of PA, 717-845-8697 OR 717-755-1463, thebeaker@pa.net
Doug Leard, Libertarian Party of PA Media Relations, Media-Relations@lppa.org
Michael Robertson, Libertarian Party of PA Chair, 1-800-R-RIGHTS, chair@lppa.org
Greens & Libs Condemn Decision in Ballot Access Lawsuit
• Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Constitution Party filed federal lawsuit to challenge discriminatory provisions and enforcement of ballot access laws
• Judge, a former state court judge, concludes that other state court judges are not to blame for Pennsylvania’s ballot access woes
GREEN PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA
http://www.gpofpa.org
LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA
http://www.lppa.org
The Green Party of Pennsylvania and the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania condemned a decision by federal Judge Lawrence Stengel last week. Stengel concluded that the lawsuit, brought by the Green, Constitution, and Libertarian Parties of Pennsylvania, targeted the wrong plaintiffs, and thus threw out the case.
Stengel ruled that the plaintiffs lack standing to challenge the Pennsylvania system of using courts to determine if petitions are valid, and assessing court costs against candidates whose petitions are deemed not to have enough signatures. In recent years, these costs have amounted to over $80,000 for the "crime" of trying to run for public office.
The lawsuit, Constitution Party v. Cortes, was filed in May, on behalf of the alternative parties by the Center for Competitive Democracy (CCD), a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) legal advocacy group. The suit, filed in federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, challenged the constitutionality of the Pennsylvania Election Code provisions that authorize courts to order candidates to pay litigation costs and fees to private parties who challenge their nomination papers. In recent years, these fees have amounted to more $80,000 for the crime of doing no more than trying to run for public office.
Due to the courts’ role in fining candidates, which is not required by Pennsylvania law, the lawsuit specifically listed State Court Judges as the plaintiffs in the case. And because the lawsuit targeted State Court Judges, it was filed in federal court to avoid a conflict of interest. However, last week, federal court Judge Stengel did not agree with this line of thinking and threw out the case due to the plaintiff’s “lack of standing.”
Judge Stengel refused to comment on the other two issues in the case. One issue was the systematic refusal of the Pennsylvania Department of Elections to tally write-ins. A closely related issue is that many counties in Pennsylvania don’t count and report any write-ins. The other unmentioned issue in the decision is the 15% registration threshold for a party to be fully ballot-qualified.
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania Chair Michael Robertson noted "It is clear from this ruling that federal courts cannot be relied upon to uphold the integrity of the electoral process any more than the Commonwealth courts. It is truly a shame when our troops are sent to foreign lands to secure choices for foreign voters that our citizens do not enjoy."
Sadly, this is yet another defeat in a long-line of attempts by Pennsylvania’s alternative parties to seek justice in the electoral arena. “Everyone knows Pennsylvania’s ballot access laws are discriminatory to alternative political parties. The laws are made by the Democrats and Republicans in the state assembly, and then enforced by other Democrats and Republicans in the courts. There is no incentive for anyone currently in power to change the rules to allow people out of power to more easily challenge their authority. The situation is outrageous,” said Steve Baker, Green Party member of York County. “The Pennsylvania Constitution states that ‘Pennsylvania Elections shall be free and equal,’ yet the partisan courts won’t acknowledge even their own framework of law.”
Marakay Rogers, the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor, remarked “Once again, the voters of Pennsylvania are being insulted by court rulings that prevent them from having a real choice of candidates as other states give their voters. The two old parties that dominate Pennsylvania's legislature and courts are only providing us with the illusion of a free vote when all parties' candidates are not given equal opportunities to make it to the ballot."
Despite this set-back, Greens and Libertarians vowed to keep fighting. “We will continue to fight these horrible laws in the courts and in the legislature,” said GPPA Steering Committee Member Bob Small. “Luckily, we can also look to the Voters’ Choice Act to bring about some sanity to ballot access in Pennsylvania.” Both parties are members of the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition.
The Voters’ Choice Act, or SB 252, was introduced by Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon), last year. The bill would equalize ballot access across all parties, not just the Democrats and Republicans. Unfortunately, the bill has been sitting in committee for over a year, with little indication that it will be passed before the end of the year.
Stated Allegheny County Libertarian Mark Crowley, “With about 10 million age-eligible Pennsylvania voters, about 7 million registered as Democrat or Republican, only one-half typically vote. That means 6.5 million of the 10 million consistently reject the major party choices. No wonder such an uninspiring and unpopular minority needs court decisions like this to protect its incumbency."
Said 2006 Green Party Senate Candidate Carl Romanelli, “Until people get angry about the erosion of their most fundamental right – the right to vote for the candidate of their choice – we will continue to see candidates restricted from the ballot. I don’t know anyone who thinks that our politicians are doing a good job at fixing our most pressing problems. If we have any hope at fixing our economy, our schools, or our environment, we’ll need to elect new people with new ideas to Harrisburg.”
SEE ALSO
PA Ballot Access Coalition
http://www.paballotaccess.org
Greens Call Press Conference for the Start of Veon Trial to Address Pennsylvania’s Culture of Corruption, February 2010
http://www.gpofpa.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=285
Romanelli Asks Obama for Beer Summit, September 2009
http://www.gpofpa.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=251
Green Party joins Ballot Access lawsuit, June 2009
http://www.gpofpa.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=230
GPPA Reacts to Charges Against Luzerne Judge, February 2009
http://www.gpofpa.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=209
Green Party decries “Bonusgate”, July 2008
http://www.gpofpa.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=155
Sunday at 1 pm and more at 3 pm. Be there to get in the right gear.
The tribute to Dennis Brutus and Howard Zinn is this coming Sunday, April 18 at 1 PM at the PITT Graduate School of Public Health's auditorium. Celeste Taylor will be one of the speakers reflecting on the lives of these great teachers.
Both Celeste and Dennis are co-founders of the Pittsburgh Anti Sweatshop Community Alliance.
Immediately following this event, the Freedom School will host a workshop, open to ALL STUDENTS and ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS, about the struggle for Human Rights in the global apparel industry. For more information about the Freedom School - contact Alex at 1-570-269-9589.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Both Celeste and Dennis are co-founders of the Pittsburgh Anti Sweatshop Community Alliance.
Immediately following this event, the Freedom School will host a workshop, open to ALL STUDENTS and ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS, about the struggle for Human Rights in the global apparel industry. For more information about the Freedom School - contact Alex at 1-570-269-9589.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
School Reform turns its attention to sports and athletics in Pittsburgh Public Schools
Now, it seems, PPS and Mr. Lopez (with the support of Mark Roosevelt) are looking with a reformer's eye at sports and athletics. Yes. This has been a request of mine for years.
Mr. Lopez is the PPS reform guy. He is the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools. He works with all 6-12 and 9-12 schools.Plus, he has been named as the Title IX compliance officer for PPS.
Mr. Lopez called an all sports coaches meeting on March 22, 2010. Here is most of what he had to say.
Same movie, different web host:
Update with some notes from at the event:
Business as usual is not acceptable. That's a great quote from Mr. Lopez. I hope that can be the theme for the reform and the determination to make changes.
The role of the boosters needs to be defined. But same too for the athlete, parents, and community. The community is often a missing part of the forumula. And, what too of the role of the taxpayers?
Team talk is hot now too. Everything is done in teams. Group projects are part of school grades. Corporate teams fill the landscape. Let's use a team approach to govern and organize sports in the city too then. Teams are essential in life today, and they must be part of the management process in team sports. How original is that?
Mr. Lopez likes sports because it provides an opportunity for the students to relate in a new construct. They learn new skills in new settings with new relationships. He needs to blurt out the soulful definition of sports:
Sports are games of time, space and relationship.
Coaches are to be a model of commitment. Commitment is frail here. Mr. Lopez talked about teams and coaches calling off too many practices -- even up to one per week. Skipping practices isn't good. Attendance can be a huge thrust for the overhaul.
The biggest practice skip reason for us this past season was the snow delays and cancelled days of school -- by the district. We could not hold practice when the snow days came. No morning practice on every two hour delay. A few times I was in the car headed to AM Swim practice and the district called off the practice. Institutional hurdles hurt our teams commitment this season.
Tuesday of this week, there was no swimming at Allderdice. Those who had a pool permit had to change plans at 2:30 pm for that evening. Swim pool closings are typical. The killer is the commitment on the part of PPS when it comes to facilities.
As a school principal, Mr. Lopez would 'beat the trees' and recruit kids out to the school's track team. Interesting. Beating on the kids to participate is a valued operation -- unless this happens outside of the school itself and then it is a recruiting violation. Talk to someone at the church, playground, on the bus or elsewhere and then the coach can get sanctions and taken off the job. The recruitment elements are a puzzle.
The basketball teams at the middle school level had very few times to prepare for their games this season. Frankly, there was a lot of concern about how long all the middle school seasons are. They are very short. It is impossible to get a training effect in only a few short weeks. It is impossible to get the skills taught, practices, perfected and train the kids too.
The lack of participation and depth of teams at the high school levels is because of the short seasons with the middle school teams. The kids don't get hooked into the sport and understand what it means to train and be a team.
A few are worried about how the teams and fans are always kept apart from one another. The fans from one team can't mix with the fans of the other school. What's up with that? If we can't learn to play well with others in PPS Sports, how can we expect anything otherwise in the neighborhoods?
Mr. Lopez is the PPS reform guy. He is the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools. He works with all 6-12 and 9-12 schools.Plus, he has been named as the Title IX compliance officer for PPS.
Mr. Lopez called an all sports coaches meeting on March 22, 2010. Here is most of what he had to say.
Same movie, different web host:
Update with some notes from at the event:
Business as usual is not acceptable. That's a great quote from Mr. Lopez. I hope that can be the theme for the reform and the determination to make changes.
The role of the boosters needs to be defined. But same too for the athlete, parents, and community. The community is often a missing part of the forumula. And, what too of the role of the taxpayers?
Team talk is hot now too. Everything is done in teams. Group projects are part of school grades. Corporate teams fill the landscape. Let's use a team approach to govern and organize sports in the city too then. Teams are essential in life today, and they must be part of the management process in team sports. How original is that?
Mr. Lopez likes sports because it provides an opportunity for the students to relate in a new construct. They learn new skills in new settings with new relationships. He needs to blurt out the soulful definition of sports:
Sports are games of time, space and relationship.
Coaches are to be a model of commitment. Commitment is frail here. Mr. Lopez talked about teams and coaches calling off too many practices -- even up to one per week. Skipping practices isn't good. Attendance can be a huge thrust for the overhaul.
The biggest practice skip reason for us this past season was the snow delays and cancelled days of school -- by the district. We could not hold practice when the snow days came. No morning practice on every two hour delay. A few times I was in the car headed to AM Swim practice and the district called off the practice. Institutional hurdles hurt our teams commitment this season.
Tuesday of this week, there was no swimming at Allderdice. Those who had a pool permit had to change plans at 2:30 pm for that evening. Swim pool closings are typical. The killer is the commitment on the part of PPS when it comes to facilities.
As a school principal, Mr. Lopez would 'beat the trees' and recruit kids out to the school's track team. Interesting. Beating on the kids to participate is a valued operation -- unless this happens outside of the school itself and then it is a recruiting violation. Talk to someone at the church, playground, on the bus or elsewhere and then the coach can get sanctions and taken off the job. The recruitment elements are a puzzle.
The basketball teams at the middle school level had very few times to prepare for their games this season. Frankly, there was a lot of concern about how long all the middle school seasons are. They are very short. It is impossible to get a training effect in only a few short weeks. It is impossible to get the skills taught, practices, perfected and train the kids too.
The lack of participation and depth of teams at the high school levels is because of the short seasons with the middle school teams. The kids don't get hooked into the sport and understand what it means to train and be a team.
A few are worried about how the teams and fans are always kept apart from one another. The fans from one team can't mix with the fans of the other school. What's up with that? If we can't learn to play well with others in PPS Sports, how can we expect anything otherwise in the neighborhoods?
Sports in a Concept Map
Click image for a larger view.
The map is not 'complete' in that it isn't perfect. Some sports are missing. What needs to change? Log in and click to insert your comments.
TOM CORBETT MUST RESIGN
I'm fine with a Corbett resignation. I'd also like to see the Orie folks resign as well as Dan Onorato. If you are running for office, step down and run. Or, step down and defend yourself from charges. Then if you win, run again, if you must.
To many think it takes life-long politicians to govern in our democracy. That's a load of crap. Good people can step into office and do the job for a term or two -- and then move back into the private sector.
To many think it takes life-long politicians to govern in our democracy. That's a load of crap. Good people can step into office and do the job for a term or two -- and then move back into the private sector.
Friend:
The Office of Attorney General is one of the most important offices in all of government. The Attorney General, as the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth, is responsible for the safety and security of all of the residents of Pennsylvania. The Attorney General has the power to file criminal and civil charges that can end a person's life, lock someone in prison away from family and friends, and impose penalties that can eradicate a life's savings.
It is therefore incumbent upon the Attorney General to not only impartially prosecute the laws of the Commonwealth, it is vital that he avoid even the appearance of bias.
In the last few weeks Attorney General Tom Corbett has come under almost daily criticism for appearing to be using the Office of Attorney General for political gain. Among the criticism are the following:
Corbett has politicized the Office of Attorney General by joining in a highly partisan lawsuit to repeal the recently passed federal healthcare reform legislation. Corbett agreed to join the lawsuit before the bill was even written, meaning he made his decision before reading the legislation.
Questions have been raised about the appearance of selective prosecution of legislators who may have used their legislative staff and offices to run political campaigns. Corbett has pursued the prosecution of mostly Democrats in what has become known as the "Bonusgate Scandal." Recently, it has been reported that Corbett's office did not investigate allegations against Republican State Senator Jane Orie.
Corbett's campaign staff has admitted that they had been planning to file their suit against the healthcare reform legislation even before he had read the bill, sending out a fundraising mailing in February saying that he is "leading the fight" against "government-run socialized medicine."1,2
Corbett has been accused of using his office and staff for his campaign for governor-the same charges he has brought against mostly Democratic lawmakers. 3
Keystone Progress filed a Right to Know request on March 26 seeking correspondence between the Office of Attorney General and outside entities, seeking to determine if there were political motives behind the Corbett's decision to join the lawsuit against healthcare reform. To date the AG's office has not provided that information. 4
When there are so many concerns being raised it puts the integrity of the Office of Attorney General in serious question. The Attorney General's judgment and actions cannot be doubted. His performance must be beyond reproach. That is why so many attorneys general, including Virginia Republican Bob McDonnell and New Hampshire Republican Kelly Ayotte, have resigned when seeking a higher office.
After taking all of these factors into consideration, we have come to the conclusion that it is time for Mr. Corbett to resign as Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The people of the Commonwealth need to trust that the justice system will work impartially, but the clouds of doubt and suspicion that are engulfing Mr. Corbett are raising too many doubts.
We therefore urge Mr. Corbett to resign immediately. Click here to sign our petition, telling Attorney General Corbett to resign. www.corbettmustresign.com
Signed,
Michael Morrill
for Keystone Progress
We are not alone in our questions about the recent actions of Attorney General Corbett.
The DuBois, PA Courier-Express has called Corbett's anti-healthcare suit "grandstanding," "specious," and "showboating with taxpayer money."5
The Chambersburg Public Opinion said that the "accusations of hypocrisy warrant investigation."6
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board says his lawsuit "clearly looks like a political ploy and a waste of state tax dollars."7
The York Daily Record said "his [Corbett's] decision to join a lawsuit seeking to undo the recently passed health care reform package looks a lot like using state resources to make political hay."8
The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News editorial board declared that "Corbett has gone too far" by joining the anti-reform lawsuit.9
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that even some Corbett loyalists are questioning his motives. "'He's not representing the people of Pennsylvania, he's representing the Republican Party," said Ruth Kahn of Warminster." Kahn is described as a "former Corbett supporter."10
1 Philadelphia Daily News, April 2, 2010 http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityhall/Election_2010_Serendipity_In_The_Mail_For_Tom_Corbett.html
2Philadelphia Daily News, March 31, 2010 http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/89580282.html
3York Daily Record, March 27, 2010 http://www.ydr.com/ci_14770694
4PA2010.com, March 26, 2010 http://www.pa2010.com/2010/03/liberal-group-wants-information-on-corbett-health-care-suit-rendell-says-drop-it/?utm_source=PA2010.com+First+Read+Opt-In+List&utm_campaign=364b81ed86-The+First+Read+3/29&utm_medium=email
5Courier-Express, March 27, 2010 http://www.leader-vindicator.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20419132&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572980&rfi=6
6Chambersburg Public Opinion, http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_14773094?source=most_viewed
7Philadelphia Inquirer, March 25, 2010 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/89095067.html
8York Daily Record, March 26, 2010 http://www.ydr.com/ci_14764186
9Patriot-News, March 26, 2010 http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2010/03/out_of_bounds_attorney_general.html
10Philadelphia Inquirer, March 28, 2010 http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/89343487.html
Robert Morris to cut its Downtown location. For sale.
Robert Morris is expanding on its Moon campus. Blasting off its downtown satalite building.
So, who can buy that building?
Duquesne University is the first natural buyer. It could take the building and turn it into a sports dorm for the baseball team. Woops. Duquesne just cut the baseball team.
A charter school, such as City High, could buy the building.
A Pittsburgh Public School could open up downtown in that building. We don't have any elementary schools downtown.
A CTE (Career and Technical Education) school is needed. Perhaps it could go there. CTE is the modern lingo for Vo Tech. But, we've already got Connelley just up the hill. A downtown based CTE would be much easier to get to than the others being proposed in different sections of the city. The present PPS plan being hatched has CTE students spending half the day in their regular high schools for the reading and writting parts. Then the specialized classes would be in other schools. That requires a mid-day bus trip from one location to the other.
Mid-day bussing of high school students isn't ideal in the slightest. But, if you must move them -- send them to a central location, such as Downtown.
PPS still needs a home for its public prep school so kids have an option to attend a 13th grade. But, before the public prep school option can find it home, it needs to find other supporters about the overall concept. But I could see this as a great use. Rather than going to RMU or CCAC and needing to take remedial classes as a freshmen, some of the PPS kids could opt to take a 'gap year-ish' course of study at the downtown campus. They'd get hard academic classes, (AP or IB), and really prepare so that the next year they'd hit college with some credits and a much better chance of success. But the real value of the 13th year was to include it as part of the IB High School so that advanced kids in 11th and 12 grades could also sit in class with those in the 13th grade option. Doing a different 13th year, or public prep building would be expensive. Having an infusion of kids in existing courses with existing students and teachers would be without much cost at all.
Or, Google could buy the building. Google Pittsburgh's headquarters could be there. We'll put a lawn chair out for you to save the parking spot.
Robert Morris puts its center Downtown up for sale Robert Morris puts its center Downtown up for sale
Thursday, April 15, 2010
By Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Robert Morris University plans to sell its signature but under-utilized Downtown classroom center so it can devote more resources to its residential Moon campus and develop online programs and new locations more attractive to nontraditional students.
The eight-story building at 600 Fifth Ave. that has carried the Robert Morris name for half a century will be listed on the market as soon as this week, university President Gregory G. Dell'Omo confirmed late Wednesday.
So, who can buy that building?
Duquesne University is the first natural buyer. It could take the building and turn it into a sports dorm for the baseball team. Woops. Duquesne just cut the baseball team.
A charter school, such as City High, could buy the building.
A Pittsburgh Public School could open up downtown in that building. We don't have any elementary schools downtown.
A CTE (Career and Technical Education) school is needed. Perhaps it could go there. CTE is the modern lingo for Vo Tech. But, we've already got Connelley just up the hill. A downtown based CTE would be much easier to get to than the others being proposed in different sections of the city. The present PPS plan being hatched has CTE students spending half the day in their regular high schools for the reading and writting parts. Then the specialized classes would be in other schools. That requires a mid-day bus trip from one location to the other.
Mid-day bussing of high school students isn't ideal in the slightest. But, if you must move them -- send them to a central location, such as Downtown.
PPS still needs a home for its public prep school so kids have an option to attend a 13th grade. But, before the public prep school option can find it home, it needs to find other supporters about the overall concept. But I could see this as a great use. Rather than going to RMU or CCAC and needing to take remedial classes as a freshmen, some of the PPS kids could opt to take a 'gap year-ish' course of study at the downtown campus. They'd get hard academic classes, (AP or IB), and really prepare so that the next year they'd hit college with some credits and a much better chance of success. But the real value of the 13th year was to include it as part of the IB High School so that advanced kids in 11th and 12 grades could also sit in class with those in the 13th grade option. Doing a different 13th year, or public prep building would be expensive. Having an infusion of kids in existing courses with existing students and teachers would be without much cost at all.
Or, Google could buy the building. Google Pittsburgh's headquarters could be there. We'll put a lawn chair out for you to save the parking spot.
Call to action: For All Patriots and Liberty Loving Pennsylvanians,
I’ve been informed by a very reliable individual that if we want to prohibit Real ID in Pennsylvania, and protect our privacy from an intrusive Federal government, we need to send hundreds if not thousands of letters to our individual Representatives and Senators and to the leadership in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in our Commonwealth Capitol. Otherwise, the bills may very likely die in committee.
Therefore, I am writing this correspondence asking for your assistance in mailing a letter, sending an e-mail and making phone calls to Harrisburg to the Leadership in both the House and the Senate. I’ll provide a link to the key Senators and Representatives which contain their e-mails, mailing addresses and phone numbers. Time is running out. The legislature will again be engrossed in the budget process in the near future.
In addition, I’m providing (6) short letters/emails for both Senators and Representatives from which you can pick and choose to include in your letter and e-mail to our elected officials. Or, you may write you own, or cut and paste as you wish. Please copy your own Senator or Representative on your correspondence.
I’ll include this email as an attachment. Let’s spread it far and wide.
If you remember last year, our legislators passed the puppy-mill statute. The bill flew through both the House and Senate when the emails, letters, and calls flooded the Capitol. I hate to say it, but that’s what it will take to prohibit Real ID in Pennsylvania and stop PennDOT from capturing biometric data on us.
I know you are onboard and will take action.
Yours in Liberty,
Jim Compton
P.S. The Pennsylvania Legislature will return to Harrisburg on 19 April 2010, the same day citizens will delivered the Articles of Freedom to their elected officials.
*********************************************************************
The Senate leadership includes:
Senator Jake Corman - Chair of the Appropriations Committee where Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 sit.
Senate Box 203034
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3034
Phone: (717) 787-1377
E-mail address: jcorman@pasen.gov
Senator Dominic Pileggi - Appropriations Committee, ex-officio Address:
Senate Box 203009
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3009
Phone: (717) 787-4712
E-mail: dpileggi@pasen.gov
Senator Joseph B. Scarnati III - President Pro Tempore and Member ex-officio of all Standing Committees
Senate Box 203025
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3025
Phone: (717) 787-7084
E-Mail: jscarnati@pasen.gov
The House Leadership includes:
Representative Lawrence H. Curry – Chair of the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee where House Bills 1443 and 1752 sit. (Prohibits Real ID and prevents government agencies from collecting biometric data when we have done nothing wrong)
26B East Wing
PO Box 202154
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2154
Phone: (717) 783-1079
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=154
Representative Joseph F. Markoesek - Chair of the Transportation Committee where House Bill 1867 which protects privacy of data on our driver’s license.
314 Irvis Office Building
PO Box 202025
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2025
Phone: (717) 783-1012
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=25
Representative Todd E. Eachus – Majority Leader
110 Main Capitol Building
PO Box 202116
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2116
Phone: (717) 787-2229
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=116
Representative Mark B. Cohen - Majority Whip
6001 North 5th Street
Second Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19120
Phone: (215) 924-0895
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=202
*******************************************************
Dear Senator _____________,
I understand the Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 are in the Appropriations Committee and expect those bills to be sent to the Senator Floor for passage. Passage of these bills will ensure our right to privacy.
The Real ID Act of 20005 is unconstitutional. It violates our right to privacy, subjects us to identity thief, and violates the religious freedom clause of our Declaration of Rights. PennDOT has been implementing benchmarks of Real ID and it must stop. Protect our privacy!
*******************************************************
Dear Senator _________________
Let’s pass Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623. Our federal government is out of control and we expect our state elected officials to stand up to the federal government and just say NO, not in Pennsylvania. We also expect our privacy to be upheld.
The Real ID Act violates the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In Printz v. United States (95-1478), 521 U.S. 898 (1997), the Supreme Court stated: “We held in New York that Congress cannot compel the States to enact or enforce a federal regulatory program. Today we hold that Congress cannot circumvent that prohibition by conscripting the State's officers directly. The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States' officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program. It matters not whether policymaking is involved, and no case by case weighing of the burdens or benefits is necessary; such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty.
The federal government cannot compel PennDOT officials to implement Real ID and capture biometric data on citizens who have done nothing worthy of being treated as criminals.
*********************************************************
Dear Senator _________________
The Real ID Act of 2005 violates our right to privacy. It is a slap in the face of freedom. It was concocted the same time as the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America published its report to Leaders in 2005. In the reported section titled, Biometrics and secure documentation vision, they stated, “We will devise a single, integrated global enrollment program for North American trusted traveler programs within the next 36 months.”
That program for the US is the Real ID Act of 2005. Real ID was to be fully implemented by May 2008, but was delayed until December 2009, and has now been extended until May of 2011. However, PennDOT is implementing benchmarks of Real ID to include capturing biometric data for facial recognition software and including our Social Security Numbers in their unsecured database along with our name, address, and date of birth.
Let’s get Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 out to the Appropriation Committee and passed on the Senate Floor.
*********************************************************
Dear Senator _________________,
Fourteen states have passed statutes prohibiting implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005 in their states. Why haven’t we joined them? We all know that Real ID is a violation of the United States and the Pennsylvania Constitutions.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…. [First Amendment United States Constitution].
The right of the people to be secure in their persons … against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated… [Fourth Amendment United States Constitution].
The people shall be secure in their persons… [Article I, Section8, Pennsylvania Constitution].
No human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience… [Article I, Section 3, Pennsylvania Constitution].
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. [Tenth Amendment, United States Constitution]
Let’s get Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 out of the Appropriations Committee and to the Senate Floor to protect our rights to privacy. PennDOT is currently subjecting us to identity theft and that needs to stop now.
****************************************************
Dear Senator _____________________
We, the citizens of this Commonwealth, expect our elected officials to uphold their oath of office. Our Declaration of Rights as described in Article I of the Pennsylvania Constitution is to be protected at all cost. [Section 25]
The Real ID Act of 2005, along with PennDOT, violates our God given Rights to privacy and religious freedoms.
Let’s get Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 out of the Appropriations Committee. These bills cost the state nothing, in fact, the result in passing these bills will reduce PennDOT’s operating expenses.
In addition, just because PennDOT thinks implementing benchmarks of Real ID will make their job easier, it does not give them the right to violate our rights. They must work within the limits addressed in the Declaration of Rights.
**************************************************************
Dear Senator ________________________
The Real ID Act of 2005 is a violation of fundamental law, i.e., the US and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Constitutions. It violates our religious freedom, our right to privacy, the Tenth Amendment, and subjects us to identity theft.
In the very first Supreme Court Decision, Marbury v. Madison, Judge Marshall stated as the opinion of the Court,
“It is also not entirely unworthy of observation that, in declaring what shall be the supreme law of the land, the Constitution itself is first mentioned, and not the laws of the United States generally, but those only which shall be made in pursuance of the Constitution, have that rank.”
“Thus, the particular phraseology of the Constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written Constitutions, that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument.”
Fourteen states have already passed statutes prohibiting Real ID in their states due to its unconstitutional mandates.
Any argument that the Legislature has to have someone determine if the Real ID Act of 2005 is constitutional is absurd. As the first Supreme Court stated”, … that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument.”, it becomes clear that everyone is responsible for reading the Constitution and ensuring that statutes adhere to it. The Real ID Act of 2005 does not.
Let’s get Senate Bills, 621, 623, and 623 out of the Appropriations Committee and passed to stop Homeland Security and PennDOT from violating our God given rights.
Dear Representative ________________________
The Real ID Act of 2005 is a violation of fundamental law, i.e., the US and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Constitutions. It violates our religious freedom, our right to privacy, the Tenth Amendment, and subjects us to identity theft.
In the very first Supreme Court Decision, Marbury v. Madison, Judge Marshall stated as the opinion of the Court,
“It is also not entirely unworthy of observation that, in declaring what shall be the supreme law of the land, the Constitution itself is first mentioned, and not the laws of the United States generally, but those only which shall be made in pursuance of the Constitution, have that rank.”
“Thus, the particular phraseology of the Constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written Constitutions, that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument.”
Fourteen states have already passed statutes prohibiting Real ID in their states due to its unconstitutional mandates.
Any argument that the Legislature has to have someone determine whether or not the Real ID Act of 2005 is constitutional is absurd. As the first Supreme Court stated”, … that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument,” it becomes clear that everyone is responsible for reading the Constitution and ensuring that statutes adhere to it. The Real ID Act of 2005 does not.
Let’s get House Bills 1443 and 1752 out of the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee and House Bill 1867 out of the Transportation Committee and onto the House Floor and passed to stop Homeland Security and PennDOT from violating our God given rights to privacy.
Therefore, I am writing this correspondence asking for your assistance in mailing a letter, sending an e-mail and making phone calls to Harrisburg to the Leadership in both the House and the Senate. I’ll provide a link to the key Senators and Representatives which contain their e-mails, mailing addresses and phone numbers. Time is running out. The legislature will again be engrossed in the budget process in the near future.
In addition, I’m providing (6) short letters/emails for both Senators and Representatives from which you can pick and choose to include in your letter and e-mail to our elected officials. Or, you may write you own, or cut and paste as you wish. Please copy your own Senator or Representative on your correspondence.
I’ll include this email as an attachment. Let’s spread it far and wide.
If you remember last year, our legislators passed the puppy-mill statute. The bill flew through both the House and Senate when the emails, letters, and calls flooded the Capitol. I hate to say it, but that’s what it will take to prohibit Real ID in Pennsylvania and stop PennDOT from capturing biometric data on us.
I know you are onboard and will take action.
Yours in Liberty,
Jim Compton
P.S. The Pennsylvania Legislature will return to Harrisburg on 19 April 2010, the same day citizens will delivered the Articles of Freedom to their elected officials.
*********************************************************************
The Senate leadership includes:
Senator Jake Corman - Chair of the Appropriations Committee where Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 sit.
Senate Box 203034
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3034
Phone: (717) 787-1377
E-mail address: jcorman@pasen.gov
Senator Dominic Pileggi - Appropriations Committee, ex-officio Address:
Senate Box 203009
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3009
Phone: (717) 787-4712
E-mail: dpileggi@pasen.gov
Senator Joseph B. Scarnati III - President Pro Tempore and Member ex-officio of all Standing Committees
Senate Box 203025
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3025
Phone: (717) 787-7084
E-Mail: jscarnati@pasen.gov
The House Leadership includes:
Representative Lawrence H. Curry – Chair of the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee where House Bills 1443 and 1752 sit. (Prohibits Real ID and prevents government agencies from collecting biometric data when we have done nothing wrong)
26B East Wing
PO Box 202154
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2154
Phone: (717) 783-1079
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=154
Representative Joseph F. Markoesek - Chair of the Transportation Committee where House Bill 1867 which protects privacy of data on our driver’s license.
314 Irvis Office Building
PO Box 202025
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2025
Phone: (717) 783-1012
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=25
Representative Todd E. Eachus – Majority Leader
110 Main Capitol Building
PO Box 202116
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2116
Phone: (717) 787-2229
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=116
Representative Mark B. Cohen - Majority Whip
6001 North 5th Street
Second Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19120
Phone: (215) 924-0895
E-mail: http://www.pahouse.com/contact/viaLDPC.asp?district=202
*******************************************************
Dear Senator _____________,
I understand the Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 are in the Appropriations Committee and expect those bills to be sent to the Senator Floor for passage. Passage of these bills will ensure our right to privacy.
The Real ID Act of 20005 is unconstitutional. It violates our right to privacy, subjects us to identity thief, and violates the religious freedom clause of our Declaration of Rights. PennDOT has been implementing benchmarks of Real ID and it must stop. Protect our privacy!
*******************************************************
Dear Senator _________________
Let’s pass Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623. Our federal government is out of control and we expect our state elected officials to stand up to the federal government and just say NO, not in Pennsylvania. We also expect our privacy to be upheld.
The Real ID Act violates the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In Printz v. United States (95-1478), 521 U.S. 898 (1997), the Supreme Court stated: “We held in New York that Congress cannot compel the States to enact or enforce a federal regulatory program. Today we hold that Congress cannot circumvent that prohibition by conscripting the State's officers directly. The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States' officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program. It matters not whether policymaking is involved, and no case by case weighing of the burdens or benefits is necessary; such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty.
The federal government cannot compel PennDOT officials to implement Real ID and capture biometric data on citizens who have done nothing worthy of being treated as criminals.
*********************************************************
Dear Senator _________________
The Real ID Act of 2005 violates our right to privacy. It is a slap in the face of freedom. It was concocted the same time as the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America published its report to Leaders in 2005. In the reported section titled, Biometrics and secure documentation vision, they stated, “We will devise a single, integrated global enrollment program for North American trusted traveler programs within the next 36 months.”
That program for the US is the Real ID Act of 2005. Real ID was to be fully implemented by May 2008, but was delayed until December 2009, and has now been extended until May of 2011. However, PennDOT is implementing benchmarks of Real ID to include capturing biometric data for facial recognition software and including our Social Security Numbers in their unsecured database along with our name, address, and date of birth.
Let’s get Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 out to the Appropriation Committee and passed on the Senate Floor.
*********************************************************
Dear Senator _________________,
Fourteen states have passed statutes prohibiting implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005 in their states. Why haven’t we joined them? We all know that Real ID is a violation of the United States and the Pennsylvania Constitutions.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…. [First Amendment United States Constitution].
The right of the people to be secure in their persons … against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated… [Fourth Amendment United States Constitution].
The people shall be secure in their persons… [Article I, Section8, Pennsylvania Constitution].
No human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience… [Article I, Section 3, Pennsylvania Constitution].
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. [Tenth Amendment, United States Constitution]
Let’s get Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 out of the Appropriations Committee and to the Senate Floor to protect our rights to privacy. PennDOT is currently subjecting us to identity theft and that needs to stop now.
****************************************************
Dear Senator _____________________
We, the citizens of this Commonwealth, expect our elected officials to uphold their oath of office. Our Declaration of Rights as described in Article I of the Pennsylvania Constitution is to be protected at all cost. [Section 25]
The Real ID Act of 2005, along with PennDOT, violates our God given Rights to privacy and religious freedoms.
Let’s get Senate Bills 621, 622, and 623 out of the Appropriations Committee. These bills cost the state nothing, in fact, the result in passing these bills will reduce PennDOT’s operating expenses.
In addition, just because PennDOT thinks implementing benchmarks of Real ID will make their job easier, it does not give them the right to violate our rights. They must work within the limits addressed in the Declaration of Rights.
**************************************************************
Dear Senator ________________________
The Real ID Act of 2005 is a violation of fundamental law, i.e., the US and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Constitutions. It violates our religious freedom, our right to privacy, the Tenth Amendment, and subjects us to identity theft.
In the very first Supreme Court Decision, Marbury v. Madison, Judge Marshall stated as the opinion of the Court,
“It is also not entirely unworthy of observation that, in declaring what shall be the supreme law of the land, the Constitution itself is first mentioned, and not the laws of the United States generally, but those only which shall be made in pursuance of the Constitution, have that rank.”
“Thus, the particular phraseology of the Constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written Constitutions, that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument.”
Fourteen states have already passed statutes prohibiting Real ID in their states due to its unconstitutional mandates.
Any argument that the Legislature has to have someone determine if the Real ID Act of 2005 is constitutional is absurd. As the first Supreme Court stated”, … that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument.”, it becomes clear that everyone is responsible for reading the Constitution and ensuring that statutes adhere to it. The Real ID Act of 2005 does not.
Let’s get Senate Bills, 621, 623, and 623 out of the Appropriations Committee and passed to stop Homeland Security and PennDOT from violating our God given rights.
Dear Representative ________________________
The Real ID Act of 2005 is a violation of fundamental law, i.e., the US and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Constitutions. It violates our religious freedom, our right to privacy, the Tenth Amendment, and subjects us to identity theft.
In the very first Supreme Court Decision, Marbury v. Madison, Judge Marshall stated as the opinion of the Court,
“It is also not entirely unworthy of observation that, in declaring what shall be the supreme law of the land, the Constitution itself is first mentioned, and not the laws of the United States generally, but those only which shall be made in pursuance of the Constitution, have that rank.”
“Thus, the particular phraseology of the Constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written Constitutions, that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument.”
Fourteen states have already passed statutes prohibiting Real ID in their states due to its unconstitutional mandates.
Any argument that the Legislature has to have someone determine whether or not the Real ID Act of 2005 is constitutional is absurd. As the first Supreme Court stated”, … that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument,” it becomes clear that everyone is responsible for reading the Constitution and ensuring that statutes adhere to it. The Real ID Act of 2005 does not.
Let’s get House Bills 1443 and 1752 out of the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee and House Bill 1867 out of the Transportation Committee and onto the House Floor and passed to stop Homeland Security and PennDOT from violating our God given rights to privacy.
Election 2012: Barack Obama 42%, Ron Paul 41% - Rasmussen Reports™
Election 2012: Barack Obama 42%, Ron Paul 41% - Rasmussen Reports™: "Pit maverick Republican Congressman Ron Paul against President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election match-up, and the race is – virtually dead even.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of likely voters finds Obama with 42% support and Paul with 41% of the vote. Eleven percent (11%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided."
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Title IX report from the consultant to Pittsburgh Public Schools
My comments have NOT yet been shared. I've got a ton to say about this. First thing first, let's get this out into public view.
What do you say?
Same thing as above but in Quicktime format.
Click to play
Policy Brief from A.I.: GreatSchools Ranking of Schools Flawed and Misleading
Policy Brief, An electronic publication of The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, April 14, 2010 Volume 10, Number 20
GreatSchools, a San Francisco non-profit organization, recently ranked cities according to school performance and city affordability. According to GreatSchools the rankings were done to assist parents who might be looking for a new city for their kids’ education. Among cities with more than 300,000 people Pittsburgh ranked seventh. As usual, a more in-depth look at the city school rankings shows Pittsburgh’s high ranking reflects deep flaws in the GreatSchools methodology.
First of all, the rankings are misleading because they are purportedly about the city schools but in fact include many suburban schools with much better academic results than the core city. Second, part of the ranking is based on housing prices and unemployment rates. And third, of the top ten cities in the large city category, four scored 7 of 10 on the GreatSchools school evaluation scale while six scored only 6 out of 10. In other words, the large city ranking is a selection of the best of not very good school systems.
And what’s worse, in the case of Pittsburgh, inclusion of non-Pittsburgh Public Schools severely distorts the GreatSchools Pittsburgh evaluation which is put at 6 out of 10. Any school district with a “Pittsburgh” mailing address—21 of the 43 school districts in Allegheny County—was counted as a Pittsburgh school.
The academic rating scale used by GreatSchools is based primarily on state standardized test scores and for students in Pennsylvania that means the Pennsylvania System for School Assessment (PSSA). As we have noted many times in our Policy Briefs, Pittsburgh Public School students on average have performed relatively poorly on the PSSA and for some of the District’s high schools the results are nothing short of disgraceful. Only one Pittsburgh Public high school scored a perfect 10—the Creative and Performing Arts High School. The next highest scoring high school is Allderdice (5). Three District high schools scored a one (Oliver, Peabody, and Westinghouse) while two more managed a score of 2 (Langley and Perry). Overall, including elementary and middle schools, the Pittsburgh Public School District scored a seriously inadequate 4 out of 10.
The suburban school districts ranked much higher. Three suburban high schools scored a perfect ten (Fox Chapel, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair) and North Hills came in with a nine. The lowest score was a 3 (Penn Hills and Woodland Hills). The study provided the overall scores for three suburban districts: North Allegheny (10), Mt. Lebanon (10) and North Hills (8).
The final educational score given to Pittsburgh (including all suburban districts that use the Pittsburgh mailing address) is 6 out of 10. Not exactly a strong score worthy of a national ranking and remember that Pittsburgh City schools had a GreatSchools an education score of only 4 out of 10. And this is supposed to induce people with school-aged children to move to the City?
Obviously, Pittsburgh’s seventh best ranking depends heavily on other factors. The median home price in Pittsburgh, according to the study, is just under $80,000. This is the lowest price for any city in ranked in the top ten. Only three others had median prices under $200,000 (Colorado Springs ($192,320), Mesa, AZ ($174,810) and Tampa ($151,340)). Clearly the low median home price helped Pittsburgh in the rankings of affordability. The other factors that went well for Pittsburgh included cost of living (88 percent of the national average) and the unemployment rate (7 percent vs. the national rate of 10 percent—numbers used by GreatSchools. Note here that the City of Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate reached nearly 9 percent in the first quarter of 2010).
Purportedly, the city school rankings scheme is to provide families who might be contemplating a move to find good education for their children. Clearly, the premise of the study is a bit odd. How many families contemplate a move to another city, possibly across country, to look for educational opportunities for their children? People make long distance moves for many reasons, but merely to find better schools is not likely to rank high on that list. They would look first at other residential and school options within the area where they currently reside, including private and charter schools and possibly home schooling.
Families are far more likely to move for employment opportunities for a parent or parents or to be closer to relatives. Once a decision is made to move to a new city then the decision about where to live will be, for some families, heavily dependent on school quality. To be sure, a city or region with uniformly bad schools could cause parents to turn down job offers. Having good schools is a plus for a city trying to attract families but it is unlikely to be more important than having an abundance of high quality jobs available.
In sum, like so many other city rankings we have seen recently from organizations seeking press attention, the GreatSchools rankings are short on substance and usefulness and long on fluff.
GreatSchools, a San Francisco non-profit organization, recently ranked cities according to school performance and city affordability. According to GreatSchools the rankings were done to assist parents who might be looking for a new city for their kids’ education. Among cities with more than 300,000 people Pittsburgh ranked seventh. As usual, a more in-depth look at the city school rankings shows Pittsburgh’s high ranking reflects deep flaws in the GreatSchools methodology.
First of all, the rankings are misleading because they are purportedly about the city schools but in fact include many suburban schools with much better academic results than the core city. Second, part of the ranking is based on housing prices and unemployment rates. And third, of the top ten cities in the large city category, four scored 7 of 10 on the GreatSchools school evaluation scale while six scored only 6 out of 10. In other words, the large city ranking is a selection of the best of not very good school systems.
And what’s worse, in the case of Pittsburgh, inclusion of non-Pittsburgh Public Schools severely distorts the GreatSchools Pittsburgh evaluation which is put at 6 out of 10. Any school district with a “Pittsburgh” mailing address—21 of the 43 school districts in Allegheny County—was counted as a Pittsburgh school.
The academic rating scale used by GreatSchools is based primarily on state standardized test scores and for students in Pennsylvania that means the Pennsylvania System for School Assessment (PSSA). As we have noted many times in our Policy Briefs, Pittsburgh Public School students on average have performed relatively poorly on the PSSA and for some of the District’s high schools the results are nothing short of disgraceful. Only one Pittsburgh Public high school scored a perfect 10—the Creative and Performing Arts High School. The next highest scoring high school is Allderdice (5). Three District high schools scored a one (Oliver, Peabody, and Westinghouse) while two more managed a score of 2 (Langley and Perry). Overall, including elementary and middle schools, the Pittsburgh Public School District scored a seriously inadequate 4 out of 10.
The suburban school districts ranked much higher. Three suburban high schools scored a perfect ten (Fox Chapel, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair) and North Hills came in with a nine. The lowest score was a 3 (Penn Hills and Woodland Hills). The study provided the overall scores for three suburban districts: North Allegheny (10), Mt. Lebanon (10) and North Hills (8).
The final educational score given to Pittsburgh (including all suburban districts that use the Pittsburgh mailing address) is 6 out of 10. Not exactly a strong score worthy of a national ranking and remember that Pittsburgh City schools had a GreatSchools an education score of only 4 out of 10. And this is supposed to induce people with school-aged children to move to the City?
Obviously, Pittsburgh’s seventh best ranking depends heavily on other factors. The median home price in Pittsburgh, according to the study, is just under $80,000. This is the lowest price for any city in ranked in the top ten. Only three others had median prices under $200,000 (Colorado Springs ($192,320), Mesa, AZ ($174,810) and Tampa ($151,340)). Clearly the low median home price helped Pittsburgh in the rankings of affordability. The other factors that went well for Pittsburgh included cost of living (88 percent of the national average) and the unemployment rate (7 percent vs. the national rate of 10 percent—numbers used by GreatSchools. Note here that the City of Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate reached nearly 9 percent in the first quarter of 2010).
Purportedly, the city school rankings scheme is to provide families who might be contemplating a move to find good education for their children. Clearly, the premise of the study is a bit odd. How many families contemplate a move to another city, possibly across country, to look for educational opportunities for their children? People make long distance moves for many reasons, but merely to find better schools is not likely to rank high on that list. They would look first at other residential and school options within the area where they currently reside, including private and charter schools and possibly home schooling.
Families are far more likely to move for employment opportunities for a parent or parents or to be closer to relatives. Once a decision is made to move to a new city then the decision about where to live will be, for some families, heavily dependent on school quality. To be sure, a city or region with uniformly bad schools could cause parents to turn down job offers. Having good schools is a plus for a city trying to attract families but it is unlikely to be more important than having an abundance of high quality jobs available.
In sum, like so many other city rankings we have seen recently from organizations seeking press attention, the GreatSchools rankings are short on substance and usefulness and long on fluff.
Jake Haulk, Ph.D., President Frank Gamrat, Ph.D., Sr. Research Assoc
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Report: Teacher pension plans shaky
The sky is falling.
Report: Teacher pension plans shaky Pennsylvania and its school districts face a daunting enough task meeting significant hikes in teacher pension contributions.
Now a Manhattan Institute report says the situation in Pennsylvania -- and across the country -- may be worse than it appears.
Keystone Oaks board discusses possible closures
Keystone Oaks board discusses possible closures: "Keystone Oaks board discusses possible closures"Rather than contract, expand. Go to Carlynton and seek their students to join yours. Merge and grow. Why not entertain a merger with Brentwood too?
Biz leader of Brazil want Government there to monitor spending for Rio 2016, a future Olympic Host
Here in the USA, we'd be most happy if the Biz leaders would monitor the government, not the other way around. We know that the gov people can spend more than they have.
When asked how much the World Cup and Olympics are going to cost them, the clever business leader said, "A Brazilion Dollars."
Woops. I had it wrong. The biz leaders don't care about the amount of the spending, they care that the luxery boxes are built on time. They must be members of the Allegheny Conference.
BRASILIA, Brazil -- A top business leader in Brazil is urging the government to make sure building projects for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics are completed on time.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/04/14/rio.2016.ap/index.html
When asked how much the World Cup and Olympics are going to cost them, the clever business leader said, "A Brazilion Dollars."
My aims with this little light of mine.
I'm most interested in fixing things. Less interested in getting a job for myself.
I'd rather make a discussion and spread ideas and less worried about showing up in the newspaper. When something is news worthy, a press conference should be called and all the media should be invited. Feeding one reporter or one outlet is too easy and unfair. That needs to happen as the news occurs, not days and weeks later.
If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the mornings. If I had a song, I'd sing it all day long. There is no time like the present.
I'd rather make a discussion and spread ideas and less worried about showing up in the newspaper. When something is news worthy, a press conference should be called and all the media should be invited. Feeding one reporter or one outlet is too easy and unfair. That needs to happen as the news occurs, not days and weeks later.
If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the mornings. If I had a song, I'd sing it all day long. There is no time like the present.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Paterno believes Big Ten expansion is coming
Okay, to get to 14, now with 11, three get to join. How about Pitt, Mizzu and Texas. If Texas says no, pick up Syracuse, but insist that they pick up men's swimming. Then there is Notre Dame.
Paterno believes Big Ten expansion is coming: "Paterno believes Big Ten expansion is coming"
Fw: Education Policy Forum Breakfast - Pittsburgh - Thursday, April 29,2010
EPLC Invites You to a Thursday, April 29, Education Policy Forum Breakfast in Pittsburgh
The next PA Education Policy Forum on THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010 in Pittsburgh (Holiday Inn Select - University Center) will feature a discussion about “Govern for Kids” and its work to impress upon the Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates about the most important issues facing children.
More information is in the letter below. There is no fee for the forum, but please RSVP as soon as possible since seating is limited.
You may RSVP for the April 29 Forum by using our easy on-line reservation system which is available by clicking on http://www.eplc.org/forum_westernpa.html.
Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues, but everyone must RSVP to attend.
Dear Colleague:
The Education Policy and Leadership Center invites you to attend the next Pennsylvania Education Policy Forum on Thursday, April 29, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Select - University Center at 100 Lytton Avenue in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.
This Forum, the third in our 2010 Western Pennsylvania Breakfast Series, will feature a panel of guest speakers to discuss “Govern for Kids” and its work to impress upon the Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates about the most important issues facing children. Govern for Kids has focused on seven critical issues: Early Childcare and Education; K-12 Education; Children’s Health; After School; Drop-out Reengagement; College Access; and Child Welfare.
Convened by United Way of Allegheny County, Govern for Kids is a growing coalition of parents, community organizers, concerned citizens and advocates united in their focus on asking the candidates for governor in Pennsylvania to be active champions for Pennsylvania’s future.
Convened by United Way of Allegheny County, Govern for Kids is a growing coalition of parents, community organizers, concerned citizens and advocates united in their focus on asking the candidates for governor in Pennsylvania to be active champions for Pennsylvania’s future.
Our speakers will include Bob Nelkin, Executive Director of the United Way of Allegheny County, and representatives of several key organizations helping to build this coalition.
A continental breakfast will be available at 8:00 a.m. The 90-minute program will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.
Please accept this invitation to join other policymakers, educators and community leaders for this important education policy discussion. There is no registration fee for the program, but seating space is limited.
Please RSVP as soon as possible by faxing the enclosed form to EPLC at 717-260-9903. As an alternative, you may RSVP for the Forum by using our easy on-line reservation system that is available at http://www.eplc.org/forum_westernpa.html.
Sincerely,
Ronald Cowell, President
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!
The School Finance Project of The Education Policy and Leadership Center is currently supported by generous grants from:
The Falk Foundation
Fulfilling the Dream Fund
William Penn Foundation
The Western Pennsylvania Breakfast Series of the Pennsylvania Education Policy Forum is also supported by additional financial support from the following organizations:
A+ Schools
Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Pennsylvania State Education Association
AFT Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals
Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units
PA Association of Rural and Small Schools
Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Center for Educational Leadership - University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Greater Pittsburgh Suzuki Institute
Musical?
The dates are: Saturday, July to Sunday August 8, 2010.
The Suzuki Camp / Institute is located just outside the city of Pittsburgh at the Upper St. Clair High School. There is a state-of-the-art theatre facility, many large classrooms and several practice rooms available.
The Greater Pittsburgh Suzuki Institute is all in one building making it easier for families with multiple children to attend.
We also offer on sight child care.
Accommodations are available at special rates at two nearby hotels: Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South, 164 Fort Couch Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241 412-833-5300
Knights Inn (at I79 & S.R. 50), 111 Hickory Grade Road, Bridgeville, PA 15017, 412-221-8110
Teacher Institute courses are as follows:
Every Child Can!© with Katherine Monsour Barley
Violin
Unit 1 with Carrie Reuning-Hummel
Unit 3 with Marilyn O’Boyle
Cello
Units 2 & 3 with Nancy Hair
Flute
Units 2 & 3 with David Gerry
Guitar
Units 2 & 3 with Andrea Cannon
Piano
Unit 1 with Patricia Schaefer Pavlack
Changes and Additions to the Suzuki Piano Repertoire with Katherine Monsour Barley
Piano Plus with Jacqueline Herbein
Student Institute runs from August 1st – August 6th. We teach violin, viola, cello, flute, guitar and piano. The courses are as follows:
Pre-Twinkle Program (age 5 and under) The fee is $200.00 for the week. The Pre-Twinkle program is for children who have begun lessons, but have not yet mastered the Twinkle variations. Parents must be present during all classes.
Book 1 Program (age 5 and under) The fee is $240.00 for the week. The Book 1 program is for students already taking lessons in books 1 or 2 and includes: a one-hour master class, a one-hour group class and one elective.
Books 1 & 2 Program (age 6 +) The fee is $255.00 for the week. The Books 1 & 2 program is for students age 6 and older who are already taking lessons in books 1 or 2 and includes: a one-hour master class, a one-hour group class and one elective.
Books 3 & Up Program The fee is $285.00 for the week. The Books 3 & Up program is for students who are already taking lessons in books 3 and beyond and includes: a one-hour master class, a one-hour group class, a one-hour ensemble class, and one elective.
Parent Education These programs will be offered daily from 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Under the direction of Enid Wood, these lectures by faculty members will enhance the institute experience for families.
The electives and ensembles include:
Music Together ®
Music Games
Musicianship
Choir
Musical Theatre
Folk Dancing
Piano for Other Instrumentalists
Guitar for Other Instrumentalists
Viola for Violinists
Sight Reading
Music and Movement
Chamber Music
Jazz and Fiddling Orchestra
Piano Ensemble
Guitar Ensemble
Flute Choir
The dates are: Saturday, July to Sunday August 8, 2010.
The Suzuki Camp / Institute is located just outside the city of Pittsburgh at the Upper St. Clair High School. There is a state-of-the-art theatre facility, many large classrooms and several practice rooms available.
The Greater Pittsburgh Suzuki Institute is all in one building making it easier for families with multiple children to attend.
We also offer on sight child care.
Accommodations are available at special rates at two nearby hotels: Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South, 164 Fort Couch Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241 412-833-5300
Knights Inn (at I79 & S.R. 50), 111 Hickory Grade Road, Bridgeville, PA 15017, 412-221-8110
Teacher Institute courses are as follows:
Every Child Can!© with Katherine Monsour Barley
Violin
Unit 1 with Carrie Reuning-Hummel
Unit 3 with Marilyn O’Boyle
Cello
Units 2 & 3 with Nancy Hair
Flute
Units 2 & 3 with David Gerry
Guitar
Units 2 & 3 with Andrea Cannon
Piano
Unit 1 with Patricia Schaefer Pavlack
Changes and Additions to the Suzuki Piano Repertoire with Katherine Monsour Barley
Piano Plus with Jacqueline Herbein
Student Institute runs from August 1st – August 6th. We teach violin, viola, cello, flute, guitar and piano. The courses are as follows:
Pre-Twinkle Program (age 5 and under) The fee is $200.00 for the week. The Pre-Twinkle program is for children who have begun lessons, but have not yet mastered the Twinkle variations. Parents must be present during all classes.
Book 1 Program (age 5 and under) The fee is $240.00 for the week. The Book 1 program is for students already taking lessons in books 1 or 2 and includes: a one-hour master class, a one-hour group class and one elective.
Books 1 & 2 Program (age 6 +) The fee is $255.00 for the week. The Books 1 & 2 program is for students age 6 and older who are already taking lessons in books 1 or 2 and includes: a one-hour master class, a one-hour group class and one elective.
Books 3 & Up Program The fee is $285.00 for the week. The Books 3 & Up program is for students who are already taking lessons in books 3 and beyond and includes: a one-hour master class, a one-hour group class, a one-hour ensemble class, and one elective.
Parent Education These programs will be offered daily from 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Under the direction of Enid Wood, these lectures by faculty members will enhance the institute experience for families.
The electives and ensembles include:
Music Together ®
Music Games
Musicianship
Choir
Musical Theatre
Folk Dancing
Piano for Other Instrumentalists
Guitar for Other Instrumentalists
Viola for Violinists
Sight Reading
Music and Movement
Chamber Music
Jazz and Fiddling Orchestra
Piano Ensemble
Guitar Ensemble
Flute Choir
Police dog that bit girl relieved of duties
 |
| From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events |
Police dog that bit girl relieved of duties: "Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's charitable foundation had helped pay for the dog."Who let the dogs out?
I hope the 9 year old girl (under age) is okay.
This could be an endless rant with lots of silly puns and jokes for latenight comedians.
Do you think the NFL lawyers will begin its investigation before the weekend?
 | This dog is NOT the one in trouble. But, it is (or was) a work dog and part of the police force with Pgh Public Schools. |
| From PPS Safety |
Burgess proposes GPS devices for most Pittsburgh vehicles
He knows if you've been sleeping. He knows if you're awake. You better be good for goodness sake. Oh, you better watch out. You better not putt around town.
If we put a video camera on every public employee, especially the elected ones, then we'd need fewer GPS devices.
What about a bunch of bumper stickers, "How am I driving? Call Rev Burgess at 412 255 2137." And we could switch up the text to say, "Where an I driving?"
We could put the city's 3-1-1 phone number on the bumper stickers, but, people don't want to call that and be put on hold for 25 minutes.
Burgess proposes GPS devices for most Pittsburgh vehicles Among other benefits, Mr. Burgess' bill said, the devices will make workers more productive and cut down on speeding and improper use of vehicles.Good management would also take the place of GPS devices.
If we put a video camera on every public employee, especially the elected ones, then we'd need fewer GPS devices.
What about a bunch of bumper stickers, "How am I driving? Call Rev Burgess at 412 255 2137." And we could switch up the text to say, "Where an I driving?"
We could put the city's 3-1-1 phone number on the bumper stickers, but, people don't want to call that and be put on hold for 25 minutes.
Schenley International Baccalaureate's language program honored
Sweet: Schenley International Baccalaureate's language program honored. Schenley International Baccalaureate's language program honored: "Schenley International Baccalaureate's language program honored"
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10102/1049677-298.stm?cmpid=education.xm#ixzz0kzl3saAc
All the kids in the IB progam take a foreign language every year. My sons have had Spanish since grade K.
I agree that we are blessed with a good number of foreign visitors, even overlooking the G-20, as well as foreign exchange students. Plus, a good number of the kids at Schenley go abroad from time to time. One of the swimmers, a senior now, is going to go to Brazil for part of the summer with a church mission effort. Travel abroad is not that unusual.
The long-heralded International Baccalaureate at Pittsburgh Schenley High School gained a notch of distinction when it was named as one of five exemplary high school foreign language programs in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association on Friday awarded Schenley High its 2010 Golden Globe -- the top award given to a high school for its foreign languages curriculum and a recognition of Schenley's outstanding world languages department, said Thekla Fall, chairwoman of the association's Exemplary Program.
"This is special recognition of the long and proud history of Schenley's foreign languages department," said Dr. Fall, a retired German teacher and curriculum supervisor in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Schenley's language department, which offers French, German, Spanish, Russian and Japanese, was the only program in Pennsylvania to receive the Golden Globe award this year.
The award program established in 2005 gives out four kinds of awards -- the Golden Globe, Silver Globe, Bronze Globe and Globe.
Schenley, which moved from its expansive Oakland campus to the Reizenstein building in Shadyside in 2008, joins Pittsburgh Allderdice High School and three others-- Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova, Germantown Academy in Fort Washington and Upper Moreland High School in Willow Grove -- in the Golden Globe club.
The award covers a two-year period and is given to schools that excel in at least eight of 11 aspects of foreign language instruction.
Among the criteria judges consider is the number of languages offered to students, given the size of the school; the percentage of students in the school that are learning a foreign language; the percentage of students who go on to higher levels of language learning and whether the school district administers a standards-based performance test of languages.
Allderdice, which offers French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Mandarin, first received the Golden Globe in 2005, and it was renewed in 2007 and 2009.
"We are very thrilled to be recognized in this manner, especially because the award will cover the last two years of our existence," said Devin Browne, a French and Russian teacher at Schenley.
Mr. Browne credited the school's long-standing commitment to foreign languages and cultural exchange programs as part of the reason the school's foreign languages department continues to flourish.
In 2008, for example, 15 of his students had a private audience -- conversing in French -- with Ambassador Pierre Vimont when he visited the University of Pittsburgh, said Mr. Browne, who arranged the meeting.
"We often have traditional Russian dance, Japanese cuisine events and an exchange program with Germany that has done wonders for our students," Mr. Browne added. "This is a place where the students often leave with an exceptional command of the foreign languages they are studying."
Schenley, which was moved from Oakland amid stiff resistance from parents and community members, will cease to exist after the class of 2011 graduates. The district has already implemented a new International Baccalaureate program, which will be known as the Barack Obama International Studies Academy.
"This is a very high honor for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, especially because we are now the only district that has two schools which have received the Golden Globe," said Marsha Plotkin, supervisor of foreign languages curriculum at district headquarters.
Other area high schools that were recognized include Gateway in Monroeville, Greensburg Salem in Westmoreland County and Moon Area, which all received a Globe Award.
No Silver Globe or Bronze Globe was awarded this year. Quaker Valley High School in Leetsdale received a Silver Globe award last year and Shaler Area High School received a Globe award the same year.
What both Schenley and Allderdice have achieved in foreign languages instruction over the years, Ms. Plotkin said, is a model of what the school district hopes to replicate in all its schools.
"We have a number of schools like Perry, Carrick and CAPA, which are well on track to receiving this award sometime soon," Ms. Plotkin said.
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10102/1049677-298.stm?cmpid=education.xm#ixzz0kzl3saAc
All the kids in the IB progam take a foreign language every year. My sons have had Spanish since grade K.
I agree that we are blessed with a good number of foreign visitors, even overlooking the G-20, as well as foreign exchange students. Plus, a good number of the kids at Schenley go abroad from time to time. One of the swimmers, a senior now, is going to go to Brazil for part of the summer with a church mission effort. Travel abroad is not that unusual.
Wicked problem = Dealing with a Sports Overhaul in Pittsburgh Public Schools
Wicked problem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Wicked problem"
Check out what is meant with a wicked problem and then how it fits in our struggle to overhaul sports opportunities at Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Sports as a topic is interesting to me, and nearly everyone else. We all have a concept of and reaction to sports. But, these emotions are often unlike the others. Sports can be hard to make into a definitive state: Football, cheerleading, special events, training, games, out-of-season, recruitment, retirement, and so on.
1.There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem.
2.Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
I like to tell the swimmers on the team that the swim season ends only when one dies. Once you are a swimmer, you are always a swimmer. There are no 'seasons' to stop us from swimming and staying healthy. We need to talk and think in lifestyle manners, not stop and go seasons.
3.Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but better or worse.
Likewise, playing the game isn't about winning-or-not, but rather, improvement, effort, learning, and excitement.
4.There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem.
Sports are filled with many tests -- but these can't be easily measured. Sports scholarships, next level participation, coaches made, evaluations, and strength gains are factors. My ultimate test and yours might be very different.
5.Every solution to a wicked problem is a "one-shot operation"; because there is no opportunity to learn by trial-and-error, every attempt counts significantly.
I crave the shots that are more of the lay-up type, and I favor less the full-court buzzer beater shots.
6.Wicked problems do not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solutions, nor is there a well-described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan.
The PPS Sports and Athletics efforts have lots of moving parts: Students, coaches, schools, principals, partnerships, competitors, facilities, and so on.
7.Every wicked problem is essentially unique.
District VIII = the City League. It isn't VII = WPIAL.
8.Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem.
How many times do we hear that it is the teachers fault, or the parents fault, or the middle-school sports development fault. Plus there are economic, racial, gender and other big ass (role model) hurdles to navigate.
9.The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in numerous ways. The choice of explanation determines the nature of the problem's resolution.
The victors get to write the history. But, they don't get to control the rule book.
10.The planner has no right to be wrong (planners are liable for the consequences of the actions they generate).
Heavy.
Seeking to generalize the concept of problem wickedness to areas other than planning and policy, Conklin identifies the following as defining characteristics of wicked problems:
- The problem is not understood until after the formulation of a solution.
- Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
- Solutions to wicked problems are not right or wrong.
- Every wicked problem is essentially novel and unique.
- Every solution to a wicked problem is a 'one shot operation'.
- Wicked problems have no given alternative solutions.
TaxFree15th.com - Welcome To The Constitutionally Backed Tax Holiday! > Home
Three important questions:
TaxFree15th.com - Welcome To The Constitutionally Backed Tax Holiday! > Home: "WHY ARE WE ALLOWING OUR CONSTITUTION TO BE IGNORED?A new movement for the 15th of every month.
WHY DO OUR CHILDREN HAVE TO SACRIFICE FOR BANKING SCAMS?
WHY ARE WE SUPPORTING POLICIES THAT DON'T SUPPORT US?"
Pine-Richland votes for $41.7 million cap on expansion project
Sorry, but this smells bad. I don't approve of phantom budgets and pie in the sky numbers that are not real, only to pass the board. When votes don't mean diddly, nor does democracy.
Accountability matters.
Pine-Richland votes for $41.7 million cap on expansion project Vice President Richard Herko cast the lone dissenting vote. He said he realized the number was 'imaginary,' in that the board has no intention of spending that amount for construction, 'but it feels like a real one.'More power to them for fixing up the schools and even moving along on the acceptance of a very large and healthy grant to build an indoor 50-meter swim pool. But, be square with numbers and votes and the process of self government.
Accountability matters.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Lay of the land and terms of Pittsburgh Public School district
So, what background terms are we missing in this list?
DEFINITIONS
Allderdice High School - A comprehensive high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood for grades 9-12. Allderdice has a city-wide magnet for engineering.
CAPA - Creative and Performing Arts high school which is located downtown and had accommodated grades 9 to 12. As of the 2009-2010 school year, the CAPA expanded to house grades 6 to 12. CAPA is a city-wide magnet.
CTE - Career and Technical Education, once known as Vocational and Technical education or "Vo Tech".
DeJong - A consultant firm hired by Pittsburgh Public Schools to report on building conditions and offer recommendations regarding facilities closures.
Frick Middle School - A PPS Facility in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh for grades 6-8 with an international studies theme. The students and the program moved to the Reizenstein facility and is now a part of Pittsburgh Obama, 6-12.
IB - International Baccalaureate, an educational program with an international standard. Pittsburgh Public Schools opened an IB middle years program school for grades 6 to 10 in the fall of 2009 at Reizenstein. The school is now called Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International studies and will expand to grades 6-12 over the next two years.
IB Site Selection Committee - A group of citizens and district employees selected by the PPS Administration to consider the long-term location for the IB program after the closure of Schenley High School.
Obama International Studies Academy - Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International Studies - a city-wide magnet for grades 6-12 that uses the IB educational system. It is presently located at the Reizenstein facility, but may move to another location.
Peabody High School - A comprehensive high school for grades 9-12 located on Highland Avenue in East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. Peabody houses the city-wide magnet for its robotics program, which was previously located at Schenley High School.
Perry High School - A comprehensive high school for grades 9-12 located on the North Side. It is an all magnet school consisting of a "traditional academy."
Schenley High School - A PPS facility in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh that was closed in June 2008. The students from grades 10 to 12 were moved to Reizenstein in the fall of 2008. The last class at Schenley High School will graduate in June 2011.
Sci Tech - A science and technology school that now occupies the building once known as Frick. As of the 2009-2010 school year, the school accommodates grades 6-9 and will grow to house grades 6-12. Sci Tech is a city wide magnet.
U-Prep / Milliones - A middle school facility in the Hill District that, as of the 2009-2010 school year, accommodates students from grades 6-10. Now called U-Prep at Margaret Milliones, it is a partial magnet, partial feeder pattern school and is to expand to grades over the next two years. U-Prep is a city-wide magnet.
Vo Tech - see CTE above. Vo Tech is an out of date term it seems.
Westinghouse High School - A comprehensive high school for grades 9-12 in Homewood. This facility had a $30 million renovation within the last 10 years.
DEFINITIONS
Allderdice High School - A comprehensive high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood for grades 9-12. Allderdice has a city-wide magnet for engineering.
CAPA - Creative and Performing Arts high school which is located downtown and had accommodated grades 9 to 12. As of the 2009-2010 school year, the CAPA expanded to house grades 6 to 12. CAPA is a city-wide magnet.
CTE - Career and Technical Education, once known as Vocational and Technical education or "Vo Tech".
DeJong - A consultant firm hired by Pittsburgh Public Schools to report on building conditions and offer recommendations regarding facilities closures.
Frick Middle School - A PPS Facility in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh for grades 6-8 with an international studies theme. The students and the program moved to the Reizenstein facility and is now a part of Pittsburgh Obama, 6-12.
IB - International Baccalaureate, an educational program with an international standard. Pittsburgh Public Schools opened an IB middle years program school for grades 6 to 10 in the fall of 2009 at Reizenstein. The school is now called Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International studies and will expand to grades 6-12 over the next two years.
IB Site Selection Committee - A group of citizens and district employees selected by the PPS Administration to consider the long-term location for the IB program after the closure of Schenley High School.
Obama International Studies Academy - Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International Studies - a city-wide magnet for grades 6-12 that uses the IB educational system. It is presently located at the Reizenstein facility, but may move to another location.
Peabody High School - A comprehensive high school for grades 9-12 located on Highland Avenue in East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. Peabody houses the city-wide magnet for its robotics program, which was previously located at Schenley High School.
Perry High School - A comprehensive high school for grades 9-12 located on the North Side. It is an all magnet school consisting of a "traditional academy."
Schenley High School - A PPS facility in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh that was closed in June 2008. The students from grades 10 to 12 were moved to Reizenstein in the fall of 2008. The last class at Schenley High School will graduate in June 2011.
Sci Tech - A science and technology school that now occupies the building once known as Frick. As of the 2009-2010 school year, the school accommodates grades 6-9 and will grow to house grades 6-12. Sci Tech is a city wide magnet.
U-Prep / Milliones - A middle school facility in the Hill District that, as of the 2009-2010 school year, accommodates students from grades 6-10. Now called U-Prep at Margaret Milliones, it is a partial magnet, partial feeder pattern school and is to expand to grades over the next two years. U-Prep is a city-wide magnet.
Vo Tech - see CTE above. Vo Tech is an out of date term it seems.
Westinghouse High School - A comprehensive high school for grades 9-12 in Homewood. This facility had a $30 million renovation within the last 10 years.
MEB's Coming to Pittsburgh!
He is not Michael Phelps, but I can roll out the red carpet for him for sure.
MEB's Coming to Pittsburgh! The first weekend in May, Mebrahtom Keflezighi (pronounced Kef-lez-ghee), more commonly known as “Meb,” will come to Pittsburgh to meet and inspire area athletes during the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon weekend.
13th year of high school should be an option for all PPS students
PPS should pull together a 13th year / prep year for all PPS graduates who want a 13th year. This extra prep year could be hosted as part of the I.B. High / Pittsburgh Obama. Allow all students from PPS to take advantage of an extra year of study and maturity before going to college.
http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2009/01/ib-high-should-have-13th-year-component.html
http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2009/01/ib-high-should-have-13th-year-component.html
I am NOT in favor of tearing down the Civic Arena. I don't want to tear down much, except politicians that only want to churn our landscape.
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| From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events |
I don't want to tear down the Civic Arena. There is very little that should be torn down from our landscape. To build, add value. To destroy, subtract. I am on the side of building by increasing, by addition, by expansion.
Any third grader knowns that 1 + 1 = 2 and that 2 is larger than 1.
Luke's math: 1 + 1 - 1 = 1. That's not growth.
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| From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events |
There is any demand for luxery box seats to go to a high school grduation, or college graduation as some of them have been held there too. There is no demand for luxery boxes for a circus or a monster truck jam or even Disney On Ice.
With the Civic Arena here, re-tooled for sure, we'd be able to host a mega block party when the Pens play a HOME playoff game, with the overflow spectators going to the Civic Arena.
Monday =IB Movie. Tuesday = Global Poverty lecture. Spiker action too
On Monday night, tonight, the IB FILM Class from Schenley shows its film project. Happens at Pgh Filmakers, free.
HS Volleyball for Schenley this week begins with a home match today, 3:15 varsity game, vs city team (Langley). Then game on Wed at Mt. Lebo and Thursday at Perry, 3:15. Saturday is a tournament at Hempfield for varsity and JV.
Swimming for the JCC Sailfish begins again tonight as well.
OAKLAND: Wahu Kaara, advocate for social justice in Kenya, will deliver a lecture, "Roots of Global Poverty," at 7 p.m. in Hamburg Hall Room 1000 on Carnegie Mellon University's campus. The talk will explore the economic and political systems that impoverish Africa and Latin America. Event, which is free, begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10102/1049678-53.stm#ixzz0ktqarb0q
HS Volleyball for Schenley this week begins with a home match today, 3:15 varsity game, vs city team (Langley). Then game on Wed at Mt. Lebo and Thursday at Perry, 3:15. Saturday is a tournament at Hempfield for varsity and JV.
Swimming for the JCC Sailfish begins again tonight as well.
After iPad, Rivals Offer Hybrid Variations - NYTimes.com
After iPad, Rivals Offer Hybrid Variations - NYTimes.com Just as Apple’s iPhone shook up a complacent cellphone industry, the company’s iPad is provoking PC makers — and non-PC makers — to fight back with new devices.
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