Sign of the times: Rolling Rocks -- a budding cancer

Bram has something on this topic too.

The city law department gets tangled in this story too. Face it: The city law department sucks. They are a serious drag on "moving forward." They should all be fired. The law department is a liability. Laws are not. But, the way they act and react are what is to blame. The blame is so deep, that they can't shake it.

If Mayor Ravenstahl was at a meeting -- or if he wasn't -- does not matter. There is no way one person should be 'above the law.' The mayor can be wrong. They can't work to protect the mayor while work to squander both honesty and accountability.

People do not want to live in a place where rules are irrelevant. People choose to avoid lawlessness. The stentch of corruption and being where rules matter little -- except for the connected -- drives people away. This is why the city is shrinking.

It is much easier for the citizens to pack up and depart, rather than to fight.

We want people to go through the process. Back in 2001, when I ran for mayor, I put a top priority on process. How things work and how they don't -- matters most. For Pittsburgh: the questions of who and what are less important than the question of how and why.

Another way to say the same thing is to concentrate on software, not hardware. This isn't about 'stadiums' as much as it is about how deals get hatched.

Software problems and process problems are much more demanding in terms of communications and philosophy. Plus, it is harder to see process, generally.

Joel from the sign company is quoted as saying that the company would sue the city if ordered to take down the sign. That is fear. That is uncertainty. That is doubt. All in all -- it is called FUD.

One firm flings FUD and the law department blinks, as expected.

The law department, the firm, this sign and even the mayor are but pawns in this bigger story. Here is another chapter, but the saga is about the city's approach to process. Is Pittsburgh still going to be a 'smokey city' where back-room deals drive the outcomes. Or, is Pittsburgh, as I would hope, turns the corner and heads to open ways.

By the way, the firm had a green light -- and jumped through some hoops. However, it didn't do enough. They fumbled at the goal line.

When is Mr. Ford going to have his pay checks terminated? Does that come before or after they terminate the head of law department goes?

On May 7, Historic Review Commission members agreed they would not have approved the sign had they been asked. They asked the Law Department to outline their options.

"The current owner is taking the position that, based upon the record, they have the right to continued approval, and we are researching that," city Solicitor George Specter said. An answer might come next week.

...

"[T]he city's public process serves to protect the public interest, and when it has been circumvented, or there is the appearance of such, we all have cause for serious concern."

Mr. Aaronson argued that the sign doesn't have "any real, substantial impact on the integrity of the neighborhood. ... People should say, 'Well, we'll be diligent next time.'"

Next time is a luxury that Pittsburgh does not own at present.

Next time works from time to time when an abundance of good will has been earned and is entrusted within the institutional ethos.

Pittsburgh is shattered. Trust is cracked. Now is the time for Pittsburgh to scatter further -- or instead, -- inject glue so as to begin to heal with the attaching of the pieces.

Luke Ravenstahl needs to reply upon the red tape for the fixing of things.

Meanwhile, I hate red tape, as a principle. But, you can't cheat it. By design, red tape can be eliminated. But, that isn't what Bob Ford and Luke Ravenstahl have been doing.

The city, could, get rid of the law department. Take that budget to $0 for the next six months.

The city could, on another front, put a question onto the ballot that asks the voters of the city if we should suspend all zoning rules for a five year period. We can get rid of the planning department, zoning and the URA. We can get rid of red tape -- by design -- so as to save money, increase freedoms and put some energy into the local marketplace. That's more of a radical fix. But, it is a deliberate. We can measure it with discussions and projections. Then we can vote upon its merit.

Finance markets crumble

The outlook for the state of the American Economy has hit a new, recent low. This isn't going to be good. More bad news is expected shortly.

Schenley and the rest of the district, too --

Still here! After a little time for a summer break and breather, there's more afoot. The stream of letters to the editor being published in the Post-Gazette seems to indicate that we're not the only people ready to keep going.

All along it's been clear that there's a lot more to HS reform than just closing Schenley under the (fake) cloud of a "$70+M asbestos problem." We're still working on getting accurate information out there to counteract the misleading (or plain wrong) impression that's been left.

But, it's also been clear all along that there are many other changes which were effectively hidden by the Schenley news and they will affect each and every family in the PPS.

Issues like:

* the move to several 6-12 grade themed magnet schools (there will be three beginning in the fall of '09)

* a move to a district wide lottery system for all schools (with changes to feeder patterns and no guarantee of a specific neighborhood HS)

* a lack of clarity on what the district will look like in 5 to 10 years -- for instance, which comprehensive high schools will be left and who will attend them?

* a lack of discussion about the effect of more and smaller schools on competitive team sports, electives and extracurricular options?

No matter what your opinions are on these and other changes proposed -- the thing we've learned is that by the time parents and community members are asked for input, it's too late for plans to change.

So -- are you ready to get the word out there? We really need to let friends, neighbors, children's classmates, co-workers, etc. know that these changes are coming and that the time to be heard is NOW. We're considering a petition drive and/or having letters to sign and mail in to the BOE and other grassroots ways to get people to talk to 10, 20, 100 people they know and make them aware of the changes that are coming and the vital need to start speaking up now, while we might still have a chance to have a voice in these reforms.

If you wish to be removed from this list, let me know. If you're willing to spend an hour or a weekend or whatever time you can give to start getting the word out, let me know that too. Ideas for how best to find and talk to people? Send them my way. And, let's keep the letters to the editor going too -- mark a time on your calendar and commit to sending in a letter. Send me a copy or let me know, if you'd like, it would be interesting to see our ratio of sent letters to printed letters.

Thank you --
Jen Lakin

Ken Krawchuk: Come watch as Abington Township violates the Constitution again

Folks:

Abington Township is violating the Pennsylvania Constitution again, and (for some inexplicable reason) wants to talk with me about it -- in District Court! Come watch the fun next Wednesday morning, July 16th, at 9:15 AM in District Court 38-1-05, 875 N. Easton Rd., Glenside Penna. 19038.

What's it all about? Article 1 Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution plainly states that citizens have "certain inherent and indefeasible rights", including "acquiring, possessing and protecting property". Furthermore, Section 25 affirms that those rights "shall forever remain inviolate".

Yeah, right. "Forever" has apparently come and gone, because Abington Township Ordinance 1760 flatly denies citizens the right to possess certain kinds of property; specifically, an operable car sitting in your driveway. The Ordinance unconstitutionally claims that a citizen is not "permitted to have any motor vehicle which is not currently registered, not currently inspected, not currently insured, and is not capable of being legally operated on a public street." Isn't your motor vehicle your "property"? Can't you keep your own car in your own driveway?

And the ordinance is not just unconstitutional, it's also illegal: state law explicitly forbids any municipality from enforcing its own vehicle laws, specifically, 75 Pa.C.S.6301, which says that all "prosecutions under local ordinances [are] superseded by title [75]".

There are other aspects to their official repression, but let me save a few surprises for Wednesday. Suffice it to say I want that Ordinance declared unconstitutional, I want monetary damages for their hassling me in the first place, and it's long past time to take whatever legal steps are necessary to remove from office any judge,
commissioner, or township staffer who has violated their solemn oath to uphold the Constitution. Enough is enough!

It'll be fun. Hope to see you there.

It's Time to Reboot America. | Rebooting America

It's Time to Reboot America. | Rebooting America It's Time to Reboot America.

Where is John McCain's Technology Policy?

What's John McCain's Technology Policy? Not so shockingly, the computer-free senator's campaign is not as plugged in as his rival's. In fact, his campaign website fails to address America's lagging performance on broadband access or affordability, the technological capabilities of the federal bureaucracy, or the Internet's ability to increase government transparency. 'There are red flags,' says Brian Reich, author of the book Media Rules!: Mastering Today's Technology to Connect With and Keep Your Audience and the former editor of Campaign Web Review, a blog that tracked the use of the Internet by candidates, campaigns, and activists.

The best in class technology that Obama should promise is simply, "open source."

TRAITOR

Wow. Watch the promo. The truth is complicated.

TRAITOR

A friend's brother had a hand or two in this. Good to watch after we return from Beijing.

What are you doing next month?

NBC will cover 212 hours of Olympics per day
NEW YORK (AP) -- Start stockpiling eye drops.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/07/08/nbc.coverage.ap/index.html

Pittsburgh Councilman Dowd running low on political capital - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

This makes me giggle.

Pittsburgh Councilman Dowd running low on political capital - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Now Heath, who runs the blog 'Cognitive Dissonance,' worries Dowd's ability to get legislation passed could be hurt.

'I don't think he's picked up any alliances at all. I think he's cut himself a little hole,' Heath said. 'Grudges seem to be a fact of life around here. That could hamper his ability to get things done.'

It is interesting to see a blogger get press. That's nice.

However, onto the issue: The real straw man on Grant Street is the fact that there is any division at all. They all are of the same party. They all have been running in lockstep to greater debt and more meaningless status.

Dowd does not need to make any alliances with those who waste plenty.

Dowd took the place of a 'yes man'. Boadack could not fix the ills of the city. We need those who can rock the boat because the boat is on the rocks, again.

Letters to the editor: Pittsburgh is squandering the asset of education

Great letter.

Letters to the editor Pittsburgh is squandering the asset of education

The vote by the Pittsburgh Board of Education is sad and distressing ("School Board Votes to Close Schenley Building," June 26). As a parent of two Schenley graduates and one more who attended her first two years, I am convinced that no one in positions of power ever really got it in Pittsburgh.

When we moved to the city from Chicago in 1989, we were thrilled. The Pittsburgh schools were considered by most objective sources to be the finest urban schools in the nation, thanks to the vision of Richard Wallace and the dedication of the district's teaching corps. As each year passed we saw how the district progressively lost its edge through bickering, politics and small-mindedness. Middle-class families with the ability to leave did. We came to Pittsburgh for the schools and left for the same reason.

Schenley was a beacon of hope -- a school that combined class and race, academic achievement and athletics, arts and science at a level that was hard to rival even in the suburbs. The district has failed, over and over again, to explain how the spirit of Schenley will somehow be replaced in the "new" plan. The ludicrous notion that combined middle and senior high school programs make any educational sense will only further push what is left of Pittsburgh's middle class out of the city altogether. The downward spiral of the city's neighborhoods will continue, and history will record that it was the educational system that did it to us. This did not have to happen -- we did it to ourselves.

JOSEPH BUTE, Pine (and formerly of Pittsburgh)

There is no doubt that most of the "leaders" are clueless as to what happens in the lives of families in this region. Clueless.

Pittsburgh is at the brink because we treat our kids like dirt, or worse. It is getting worse.

Richard says: new County Council Comission to hatch on Monday

County Council member, Amanda Green, reports that she and Council Member Richard Fitzgerald are introducing a bill to create a County Human Relations Commission to cover the usual groups including the L/G/B/T community. It covers housing employment and public accommodations. The meeting will start at 5:00 p.m. People are able to comment on new legilation, but they would need to call County Council to register tommorrow (Monday).

Hooker Dives to 3rd -- and Lauryn Williams has the 4th spot

Wow. Got to see that "photo finish."

They make hanging chads seem meaningless.

PG looks at the Libertarian Web Site for 4th of July ink

Cutting Edge: New ideas / Sharp opinions RADICAL PATRIOTS

A final thought from the Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh (lppgh.org) regarding this Fourth of July weekend:

'Please be careful for what it is you are waving that flag whose origins are in liberty, not global intervention and the at-home police state such folly requires.'

Then this, from H.L. Mencken:

'The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair.'

Something big is about to unfold in PA political circles

Perhaps a storm is brewing. Corruption is ugly.

link to MCall article

Senate aide sought cell numbers of reporters in leaks case

A request came from lawyer for the Rev. Joseph Sica.

By Tim Darragh | and John L. Micek Of The Morning Call July 4, 2008

Some news reporters subpoenaed over alleged leaks from a grand jury investigation of Mount Airy Casino Resort owner Louis DeNaples said Thursday that they were contacted by people who wanted to confirm their cell phone numbers or names.

At least some of those calls were made by an aide to state Sen. Robert Mellow, D-Lackawanna, the Senate minority leader. At least two others came from someone who pretended to work for a Pittsburgh newspaper.

A request for numbers came from Scranton lawyer Sal Cognetti, Senate Democratic spokesman Charles Tocci said. Cognetti is an attorney for the Rev. Joseph Sica, a DeNaples associate.

Sica and DeNaples were charged with perjury earlier this year after a grand jury investigation. Authorities claim DeNaples lied to help his bid for a slots license by telling gaming investigators he had no ties to organized crime. Sica is accused of lying to the grand jury about his relationship with a mobster. Their lawyers have said they are not guilty.

Fifteen reporters from six news organizations, including The Morning Call, last month received subpoenas at the request of DeNaples' and Sica's lawyers. The lawyers allege leaks related to the grand jury, which meets in secret.

Dauphin County Judge Todd A. Hoover heard arguments and testimony this week on whether a special prosecutor is needed to investigate the alleged leaks. He has until Aug. 2 to decide.

Tocci, reached Thursday, confirmed that a Mellow aide made some calls to ''eight or nine'' journalists. He said the inquiry was related only to updating a media contact list.

''As a courtesy,'' Tocci said, a Democratic Party official directed Cognetti's request for the numbers to the Senate Democrats' press office, where staffers checked a caucus media list. A female aide misunderstood her mandate, Tocci said, and began calling some of the reporters. The staffer ''called a couple'' of the numbers, he said, and then abandoned her task.

As a matter of policy, Tocci said, Senate Democrats share numbers from their media list with lawmakers or their staffs. Asked why the numbers were shared with Cognetti, Tocci said it's also common practice to share contact information with constituents or activist groups.

Cognetti has been a contract employee of Senate Democrats since March 2005, Tocci said, and was paid $48,259 last year for ''general matters outside the skill and expertise of our general counsel.'' Tocci said Cognetti does not do gaming-related work.

Cognetti did not return calls Thursday for comment.

Some reporters got calls from an unknown male.

Matt Birkbeck of The Morning Call received a call from someone claiming to be ''Randy Carruthers'' from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. When Birkbeck questioned the caller, he hung up. Philadelphia Inquirer Editor Bill Marimow confirmed an Inquirer story that said a Daily News reporter received a similar call.

No such ''Carruthers'' works at the Post-Gazette, said Editor David Shribman.

''In most cases, it would be nice to think that someone was looking for you,'' Shribman said. ''But in this case, we don't find it amusing or acceptable.''

Scott K. Baker, general counsel for Philadelphia Media Holdings, publisher of the Inquirer and the Daily News, said the attempts to obtain reporters' cell phone numbers is ''further evidence'' of intent to harass the media, The Associated Press reported.

Pennsylvania's Shield Law protects reporters' confidential information and their sources. Trying to sidestep that, said Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, is ''bad for reporters and bad for the public.''

Barry Kauffman, executive director of the government watchdog organization Common Cause in Pennsylvania, said state employees ''have better things to do.''

A Mellow staffer asked for the cell phone numbers of at least three Philadelphia Inquirer reporters, editor Marimow confirmed. Philadelphia Daily News City Editor Gar Joseph said several Daily News staffers also were contacted.

Marimow and others criticized the involvement of Mellow aides, regardless of the reason. ''It just struck me as an inappropriate use of public employees,'' Marimow said.

Daily News columnist John Baer said he received calls about his number, but the caller hung up. Hang-ups, he said, are not uncommon. Asked how often he received anonymous calls to his office seeking his cell phone number, Baer said, ''Well, never.''

In addition, Dave Janoski of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice, who also was subpoenaed, said he too received a request for his cell phone number. He said he didn't know who asked, but returned the call to the state Democrats' communications office. He said he offered his cell number, saying that Cognetti and some of DeNaples' representatives already had it anyway.

A second subpoenaed Morning Call reporter, Christina Gostomski, said she had not been contacted. Associated Press reporter Marc Levy, also subpoenaed, did not recall inquiries about his cell phone number, said AP Pennsylvania Chief Sally Hale.

Dramatic dive earns underdog an Olympic spot - 2008 Olympics - SI.com

Wow.

Dramatic dive earns underdog an Olympic spot - 2008 Olympics - SI.com: "Dramatic dive earns underdog an Olympic spot

Swimmers finish races by touching the wall. But it track and horse races, the racers cross a line and have 'photo finishes.'

If they ever need to get horse races a spike in views -- they'll contest races to a wall.

Party at our house tonight

This is the night for our annual open house. Arrive at 6 pm to play badminton. Hope the wind stays quiet and the rain avoids us.

At 8 pm sharp, tonight, we'll be huddled by the TVs to watch the USA Swimming Olympic Trials. At 9 pm, the new TV can play the fireworks too -- or watch from the deck.

School's Out - City Paper coverage of Schenley's closure

School's Out - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsburgh: "Shortly before school-board members voted on June 25 to close Schenley High School -- the building -- some board members pledged to seek funding to reopen the historic landmark in the future, while one board member made a last-ditch effort to save something he sees as more important: Schenley -- the school.

Asbestos removal won't cost $76-million. Here we go again. You know, we don't have that much energy to fight with those who are so clueless that they'd trip over the truth if it was set down in the path before them. Progress like this we don't need.

I was very warm to the proposals of Randall Taylor. Moving the entire Schenley school into Peabody, with the capacity, made good sense.

However, his approach to the battle was a puzzle. Taylor went into a battle where guns were blazing and armed himself with a pea shooter. I don't like the war lingo as we are all fighting for the sake of the kids. But, it would help to have a few of the proposals put on paper before they are made into motions within a school board meeting.

At least it would be wise to leak something to a blog or an email list.

Bush will attend opening ceremonies of Olympics - 2008 Olympics - SI.com

See ya there.

Bush will attend opening ceremonies of Olympics - 2008 Olympics - SI.comPresident Bush will attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing, the White House said Thursday, quashing any talk of a presidential boycott over China's violent crackdown on Buddhist monks.

Check out the interview with Bob Barr

Got Ink: Double Trouble on the North Shore - Casino Journal - post-gazette.com

My solution, a long-time held and ranted one at that, to the Don Barden and slots parlor mess, got reprinted within the P-G.

Double Trouble on the North Shore - Casino Journal - post-gazette.com: ".. Says Mark Rauterkus:

'Send the builders over to the white elephant Convention Center. Have them roll in the slots machines there. Open the slots parlor next week. And, have the money that Don Barden does have go to pay down the debt of the failing Convention Center. And, Barden's folks can also run the Visit Pittsburgh outfit too. If Barden wants to build in the future -- he can do it in due time after the conditions change.'"

The only thing worse than the finance cruch these days is the cost of gasoline. And the two tragic situations meet and dance together when you look at the Convention Center coupled with the slots parlor not being built.

The Convention Center depends upon travelers. Exhibits, expo vendors, convention goers all need to travel to come to Pittsburgh to fill the Convention Center, week in and week out. That isn't happening. We don't have the hotel (thank goodness). We don't have the airplanes flying into the airport. We don't have the taxi drivers. We don't have the subsidization needs to bribe others to come to Pittsburgh for a fling at that big green building that is really a white elephant.

There is NO HOPE that the convention center is going to be utilized as it should.

We didn't we put Schenley High School in there. Then 1,000 kids and some dozen jobs would put the building to use. The sky is falling there -- for sure.

Don Barden could walk away from the North Shore and set up in The Strip District's Convention Center. And, he could run the booked Conventions that are slated for the weeks, months and years to come along with the slots business.