John Morgan Posts

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-ALEC) thinks if you're one of Mitt Romney's 47% you're lazy and don't deserve the right to vote.  I guess he missed the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling this week in which six Justices said voting is a fundamental right.  Metcalfe doesn't think you deserve to vote if you're in the PA National Guard, stationed in Afghanistan and not earning enough to pay income tax.  He thinks if you worked all your life and  now are in retirement you're too lazy to go get an ID and don't deserve to vote.  If you've been seriously injured at work because Pennsylvania refused to regulate workplace safety he thinks you don't deserve the right to vote.  He thinks if you were born born Black, have been discriminated against in the job market and couldn't get a good education because Pennsylvania won't adequately fund public schools you're really just a lazy bum who doesn't deserve to vote.  Daryl says if you're a working woman earning 77 cents to each dollar a man in your same position makes you're just a lazy bastard who doesn't deserve to vote.

Who does this moron thinks deserves to vote?  Only those neanderthals who think as he does.  He's obviously a moron because he doesn't comprehend that constitution he and his fellow tea baggers are always carrying around but never bother to read (other than the Second Amendment).  Every right we have derives from the right to vote.  When you disenfranchise someone you threaten every other right they possess.  These rights didn't come from god they came from the framers and writers of our constitution.

The Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal and that all deserve the rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.  Just not if you're one of the Romney/Metcalfe 47%.  Gee, I missed that somewhere in our laws.  

No government has the right to force me to obtain a government issued ID.  Gov. Corbett actually stated last week that he thinks every one of us should carry ID at all times.  I have news for Corbett and Metcalfe:  Pennsylvania is not a police state and your efforts to make us one will be remembered.

by Walter Brasch

The terrorists who attacked the American embassy in Cairo, Egypt, and the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, claimed the attacks were retaliation for the publication on You Tube of an anti-Muslim film. That YouTube video was a 14-minute trailer for a one-hour film, "Innocence of Muslims," that was not only a vicious bigoted attack against Islam but also of no artistic merit.  

One of the extremist political parties in Egypt plucked the trailer from obscurity and used it as part of a newscast, inflaming the people of Egypt, who mounted a demonstration against the U.S. embassy. Within a week, the trailer had more than 10 million hits on YouTube.

An attack upon the consulate in Benghazi that followed the one in Cairo led to the deaths of the U.S. ambassador, a member of his staff, two Navy SEALS assigned to the mission, and 10 Libyan guards who defended the consulate.

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quickly condemned the attacks. Mohammed Magarief, president of the Libyan National Assembly, apologized to the United States for the attack, and vowed to bring the killers to justice.

The man who gave the order that led to the execution of Osama bin Laden sent in Marines and the FBI and vowed to work with Libya to "bring justice" to the killers.

Several persons accused of the murders have been arrested.

The attacks on American sovereign soil may have been planned and then carried out by a small group of terrorists to coincide with the 11th anniversary of 9/11; the video was merely an excuse for the attack.

Ambassador Christopher Stevens was highly respected by the people and new governments in the Middle East. He and the U.S. helped promote the Arab Spring that had led to the overthrow of dictators and the creation of governments that could lead to more freedom for the people. Large spontaneous demonstrations by Libyans showed the world they were furious at the content of the video, but that they also despised the attack and continued to support the United States.

Dozens of smaller demonstrations began appearing within a day throughout the MidEast; many were merely moments of opportunity for thugs and terrorists to cause damage by invoking their disgust of the film; some were attacks to secure or maintain perceived leadership in the region.

Nevertheless, no matter what the reason for the rioting, the people were legitimately mad at the depiction of the prophet Mohammad and the no-star film that reeked with the slimy viciousness of hate.

The people, not the terrorists, in comments to the media, said they were reacting because President Obama did not take action against the film makers. They believed he should have at least ordered the arrests of those responsible for making the film.

For a culture that existed for millennia in having leaders who would have taken such an action, it was not an unreasonable demand. A part of their culture is the integration of religion and government, just as it was a part of English culture and that of colonial America at one time. As much as some fundamentals in the U.S. may wish it were still a part of American culture, it is not. The First Amendment not only establishes a separation of church and state, but guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press; allows people the right to redress the government for their grievances, and to peacefully assemble to protest.

President Obama said that the United States rejects "all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, but there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence." He emphasized, "Violence like this is no way to honor religion or faith." Hillary Clinton was just as forceful: "Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind."

Long before the attack in Libya, as rioters had begun to mass in Cairo, the embassy tweeted "Sorry, but neither breaches of our compound or angry messages [by rioters] will dissuade us from defending freedom of speech and criticizing bigotry." It was a message that defined the ideals of a nation that had created the First Amendment. But, in a "shoot first and aim later" blunder while events were still unfolding and the U.S. was responding to the attacks, Mitt Romney, without the facts and the timeline of events, fired an angry polemic, politicizing the murder of American diplomats. "It's disgraceful that the Obama Administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks," he said. Romney, whose own religion has been viciously attacked by members of his own party, probably should have done what the President and Secretary of State did-condemn violence and religious bigotry. And then shut up.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton could not allow government action against the filmmakers, as the protestors wanted. The Founding Fathers demanded freedom of speech, the press, and religion to allow all views to be heard, even if it meant protecting even the vilest messages of hate, as long as they did not advocate violence or the overthrow of government. It is a fundamental part of what they wove into the fabric that became the United States of America.

[Walter Brasch is a syndicated social issues columnist and former newspaper and magazine reporter and editor, and a specialist in First Amendment issues. He is the author of 17 books; the latest is Before the First Snow: Stories from the Revolution.]

David Freed, GOP candidate for Attorney General is showing a shocking disregard for rules.  He will have a tailgate fundraiser this Saturday at the Penn State/Temple football game.  Penn State does not allow its facilities to be used for political events like these.  Greenlee Partners is hosting it for him in violation of PSU's rules and regulations.  Suggested donations are $500/couple.

How does violating the rules and regulations of  a public institution qualify one to be Attorney General?  I think it disqualifies Mr. Freed.

In a victory for democracy the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered the lawsuit attacking Voter ID to be remanded back to Superior Court to render a new verdict delaying implementation of the requirement disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of eligible voters.  Now perhaps we can go to federal court and get it declared unconstitutional.

Mitt Romney keeps opening his mouth and sinking his failed campaign.  Insiders have formed a circular firing squad and are shooting each other over who's to blame for this implosion of a presidential effort.  I have a clue for them:  the problem is your candidate.

At a high dollar fundraiser Mitt was caught demonizing 47% of America calling them moochers and freeloaders living off the government.  He claimed that since they don't pay income taxes they'll vote for Obama to keep their entitlements.  The video:

The damning part:

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what...These are people who pay no income tax.

I'm one of those 47% Mitt claims are deadbeats feeding off the government.  See, I had the unfortunate calamity of suffering  ahead injury in 1984.  I had six bad concussions in about a three year period which turned my brain to mush.  This happened because my employer maintained unsafe working conditions so I qualified for workers compensation.  Unfortunately my employer at the time wasn't trustful or honorable and refused to file the paperwork with their insurance carrier CIGNA.  At the end of my rope I tried going back to work (they also conveniently fired me when I filed the injury claim) and made things worse when now I couldn't speak or hear anything in my left ear.  Twice I went eight months between workmans comp payments as we had to keep taking CIGNA to court.  Thankfully I had  a great landlord who knew he'd get his money as soon as I got mine.  Through a twenty five year rehab process I did wind up homeless for 2 1/2 years while awaiting SSDI after my workmans comp ran out.  I still have headaches, the current bad one has been with me for four weeks.  This is why I can't work.  This is why I'm one of those "moochers" and "freeloaders" Mitt condemns.

I didn't ask to get hurt.  I didn't ask to lose significant cognitive function.  I didn't ask to lose my short term memory at age 34.  I had paid into Social Security since I was 18 however so I did qualify for benefits.  Social Security is an insurance program we all opt into when we first begin working.  Unfortunately i'm one of those who had to use it and it's been enabling me to exist somewhat.  I can't afford my own home though and lived in some very decrepit places (think cheap, cheap) and in campground s for a while.  Luckily I have family which helps a great deal.

Being a "moocher" and a "freeloader" isn't fun.  In RomneyWorld I get housing, food, health care and a great life bleeding those who work and pay taxes.  I get no housing, no food stamps and my health care is taken care of by Medicare with a 20% co-pay.  As a workmans comp injured worker I should have gotten my medical care paid for by CIGNA for life.  Didn't happen.  My employer cut corners, I got hurt and they got off scot free.

So life as a moocher isn't good.  I used to work 15 hours a day and after I couldn't work any longer I went into a deep depression.  I loved working and not being able to hurt as much as the cluster headaches which never abated.  I did overcome these issues and rehabilitated myself to the extent I can do what I do.

They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and I agree.  I've learned a lot through my struggles and I'm OK with where I am.  Until Mitt Romney insulted me that is.  I'd love to be able to work again.  My SSDI ends at the end of next year when I turn 62 and I really need to find a part time job to maintain enough income to keep the blog going.  Who's going to hire an old man with constant cluster headaches?  

A man who won't release his own tax returns so we'd know if he's one of the deadbeats also gets a $72,000 tax credit for his dancing horse but feels he has the balls to criticize those of us who really don't have any choices in our situations.  But let's look at the others who he says don't pay income taxes.  A bunch of these are retired folks who paid them all their lives but are no longer working.  Another large group are military veterans, many of who cannot function because of their service to our nation.  In gratitude for their selfless service we relegate many of them to the streets.  Many are the working poor who, because we refuse to pay a living wage, don't earn enough to pay income taxes.  This was a trade-off made by Republicans in return for giving the really really rich tax cuts.  To salve their consciences and get those cuts through they agreed to exempt the working poor.  My how generous that was until they then decided to make them the scapegoats.

The working poor actually pay more in taxes proportionately than Mitt does.  About 15% of what they make goes to payroll taxes which fund Medicare and Social Security.  They also pay regressive sales taxes which take a higher proportion of their money than they do from the rich.  Add in local head taxes and property taxes 9even the poor pay them through their rent) and there really isn't anyone in this country who doesn't pay taxes.  Anyone paying payroll taxes is sending a higher percentage of their income to Washington than Mitt.

So who's really the tax deadbeat here?  ironically though Romney says those 47% are automatic Obama voters he has that wrong too.  See the states which take more from Washington than they pay in are the real moochers.  We call them Red States because they vote reliably Republican.  Poor folks are actually very common in the South where racism prevents business people from hiring anyone of color (that isn't limited tot he South by the way).  Bad schools are also common in poor areas because of our fundamentally flawed method for funding them.  The myth that throwing money at a problem not solving it is belied by the fact that students at well funded schools compete with students anywhere else in the world.

Paying teachers a professional wage actually attracts better teachers.  reducing violence in schools by hiring security actually increases learning as do books, supplies, meals, and small class sizes.  Unfortunately all these cost money.

We all pay taxes and conservative condemnation of those who have had unfortunate things happen to them (like being born Black) is unworthy of someone asking for our vote.  This is race baiting actually because of the assumption that those who "mooch" are Blacks siphoning the hard earned bucks from white people.   News flash:  if you'd hire them they wouldn't be on welfare.  Romney has played the race card all summer with his commercials accusing Obama of coddling welfare queens.

Work brings dignity and not being able to work is tough.  I try doing what I can and starting this blog has provided me with something I can do when I'm up to it.  It doesn't bring in any money but at least I think I'm doing what I can to better society by providing a service.  I'm doing what I can and I sincerely wish I could do more.  I'm sorry for Mitt Romney, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, who is a clueless bastard undeserving of support from any of the 100% of Americans who actually have empathy, who have an ounce of humanity in their souls.

By the way, even though I'm in Mitt's 47% Obama didn't get my vote.  His very underlying assumption shows how stupid this man really is.  If all those he just insulted in those deeply red states are also offended they shouldn't vote Republican.

One hundred and fifty years ago today troops gathered outside Sharpsburg, Maryland and the Battle of Antietam began.  The bloodiest single day of the Civil War happened along Antietam Creek.  Several hundred thousand history buffs have descended on the Hagerstown region where the battlefield lies nearby.  I remember taking my Mom there when she lived in Hagerstown and touring the battlefield.   Next year is the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg and hotel rooms are already booked up for that reenactment.

Chicago teachers continue their strike this week as moves to strip workers of their rights continues.  Too many teachers are working in poor conditions and those in Chicago are as bad as anywhere.  300,000 educators have lost their jobs and millions are working on pay freezes.  How many lawyers, accountants, engineers and other professionals would work under these conditions?

T-Mobile negotiated in bad faith with workers at its Allentown call center then closed the facility.  This company is virulently anti-union and anti-worker so please don't use their communications services.  Here's a video from the Communications Workers of America telling a few of the personal stories of this action:

In other union news a Wisconsin judge struck down Gov. Scott Walker's law saying teachers cannot organize.

The DCCC has named PA-07 as a Red to Blue targeted seat.  George Badey is challenging Pat Meehan in the five county gerrymandered district.

Have you seen Tom Smith's strange ad attacking Bob Casey for supporting the stimulus?  That economic bill saved or created 3 million jobs.  We saw just how effective it was when it ended and 14,000 Pennsylvania teachers lost their jobs along with thousands of support staff and state employees.  The stimulus bill funded them for two years.  Smith says all the bill did was create jobs in China.  You know he's from the coal industry when it turns out he's completely in the dark.  Casey's new ad reminds voters Tom Smith is a tea bagger and proud of it:

A lot of ARRA money came to Pennsylvania to research batteries, clean energy and to fund cutting edge entrepreneurs.  Smith is a coal mining executive so no wonder he didn't like investments in actual clean energy.

State Senate candidate Rob Teplitz is calling for an independent audit of the state legislature.  Taxpayers have a right to know where and how their money is spent.  There is no disclosure or transparency in the budget for the House and Senate.  There has been widespread fraud and abuse there as evidenced by all the legislators and staff who are now in prison.  If we're all hot and bothered about waste, fraud and abuse in DPW we shouldn't then be hypocritical about doing so in this budget.

One of the myths repeated by ditto-heads trying to brainwash voters is that tax cuts create jobs.  Not only is there no evidence to support the claim all economic data show otherwise.  A new study over 65 years of data shows how tax cuts actually hurt the economy.

Mitt Romney is worried President Obama will lie during the debates.  This is a pathetic way of trying to cover his own butt for all the lies he has been spouting and which will be disclosed during those debates.  He's simply talking in code to his supporters so they'll think it's his opponent getting caught in lies instead of the actual culprit.  This is a mental illness called progression.  

Why is it conservatives need to speak to each other in coded?  Is it because even they're ashamed of their bigotry, racism, elitism and lack of empathy?

A collection of Romney's flip flops:

I find that the stupider a person is the more likely they're a devoted listener of Rush or a viewer of Faux News.  Smart people tend to be more liberal.  Even Rick Santorum has figured this out.  He said "smart people will never be on our side."  Yes Rick, smart people know better.

Mitt Romney has officially named Bob Asher as Finance Co-Chair in Pennsylvania.  He is a convicted felon and served a year in federal prison for corruption.  He and late Treasurer Bud Dwyer were caught taking a $300,000 kickback to the Pennsylvania Republican Party in return for a state no bid contract.  Asher was Chair of the PA GOP at the time.  He is now a national Republican Committee man and raises and distributes large sums for Pennsylvania Republicans.  Dwyer infamously shot himself in a live television press conference rather than go to prison.

Why is Mitt Romney using a convicted felon to raise money, when we know the corrupt practices used by this man?  The other finance c-chair is Chritine Torretti and Tom Corbett and Pat Toomey are the Chair of the campaign.  Have none of them any shame to sit alongside Asher?

When you purchase Asher Chocolates you're putting your money indirectly into Mitt Romney's campaign.

PCN telecast the Supreme Court arguments on Voter ID this morning saving me a trip to Philadelphia.  Watching and Tweeting the event I have some hope this terrible law, Act 18, will be, at least, stayed.  Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued for an injunction saying there isn't enough preparation and time to  implement the law.  They made no argument the law is unconstitutional because it appears to be so under Pennsylvania law.  Since this is a case of state law being argued in a state court only state law applies.  Whether or not the law is constitutional under federal law is a case for the federal courts.  Federal courts have knocked down similar laws elsewhere.  This morning's arguments have no bearing on federal issues of equal protection for instance.

Cases where legal, eligible voters are denied their fundamental right to vote can not be made until that actually happens.  Unfortunately irreparable harm will already have occurred where votes were not cast and counted that were legal in a federal election.  I didn't hear much argument about such irreparable harm this morning.   The appellants case sounded weak to me, they simply want an injunction based on the fact the Commonwealth is unable to produce ID's for voters.

Arguments began about whether the right to vote is fundamental.  The State argued it is not, that the legislature can apply limits on it.  They also went on to try and deny the state's stipulation that no verifiable case of voter fraud has ever happened either here or elsewhere.  This got so ridiculous Justice Debra Todd finally read the entire stipulation to the Governor's clueless lawyer.

Justices Todd and Seamus McCaffery asked pointed questions throughout supporting the implementation of an injunction.  Interestingly Republican Thomas Saylor had some very intriguing queries to the state's lawyers.  His vote may be in play here or he might have been playing devil's advocate.  One never really knows.  I found arguments that PennDOT is implementing the law specious.  There have numerous reports of the agency charging people $13.50 for the ID's making this a poll tax.  Others say they've taken acceptable forms of identification only to be rebuffed by untrained PennDOT employees and have made repeated trips trying to secure an ID.  If someone has to make five trips to get an ID this law is wrong and unjustifiable.  That imposes an undue burden on voters.

The fact Tom Corbett's lawyer Mr. Putnam began arguing in court that voter fraud exists was laughable and it destroyed any credibility he had before the Court.  When Justice Todd publicly embarrassed him by reading Corbett's own stipulation saying otherwise I almost felt sorry for the bastard.  Almost...

In the PA Supreme Court arguments this morning Justice Debra Todd was forced to read the Commonwealth's stipulation that no verified case of voter impersonation fraud has ever happened in the state.  Gov. Corbett's lawyer was actually trying to back off that statement to the extent she felt it necessary to read it into the record.  The stipulation is definitive:  there has never been a verified case of voter fraud in Pennsylvania.  Why then did State Representative Rick Saccone claim otherwise yesterday?  Is he delusional or a practiced prevaricator?

I called his office this morning for comment and am awaiting a response for his conduct yesterday at The Blue Flame Restaurant in Pleasant Hills.  Saccone represents a district in Allegheny and Washington counties and is a former professor according to his official website.  Professors are trained and expected to deal in facts not fantasy.  I suppose this explain why he's no longer a professor.

According to sources who attended the event when the question of voter ID was raised Saccone claimed voter impersonation fraud is rampant.  Of course that was either a bold faced lie or Saccone is delusional.  I asked his office if he is, I'm looking forward to their response.  Worse, the woman who asked the question was then subjected to shout downs including one man who yelled "shut your mouth!"  Amidst this intimidation and abuse Rep. Saccone failed to call anyone out for their abusive behavior, stop the verbal assaults or apologize to his constituent for the treatment was accorded at his event.

What does this say about the man's character?  I asked that also of his Harrisburg staffer.  She claimed several Republican House members cited personal cases where they say someone tried to impersonate them at the polls.  Of course this is hearsay and all of these claims are based on disproven urban legends.  Some of our State Representatives need to discover Snopes.com.  Urban legends are no basis for writing legislation.  If so perhaps Rick Saccone should spend time writing laws against dragons and unicorns.  They're as much of a threat as voter fraud.

If Rep. Saccone does not justify his failures of character exhibited yesterday where is his sense of personal responsibility?  I await his response.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke this morning in Shanksville where Flight 93 crashed eleven years ago.  I wasn't invited to cover the event (again, I suppose criticizing this President for war crimes and civil liberty violations gets you knocked out of events).  Two years ago I got up at 2 AM and drove the four hours to cover First Lady Michelle Obama in Shanksville and it was a sobering experience.  I interviewed some family members of those who perished that day as the nation was attacked by Al Qaeda.

We also should commemorate the awful American supported terrorism in Chile which happened on this date years earlier.  On September 11, 1973 freely elected Socialist President Salvadore Allende was overthrown in a violent coup backed by the CIA and overseen by Nixon Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.  Augusto Pinochet was put in power and 60,000 Chileans were executed or "disappeared" for political activity.  What happened to us on 9/11 should be kept in perspective with what we've done elsewhere.  When attacks like the World Trade Center are done and Americans ask "why do they hate us?" this is one of the many answers.

Pinochet was a brutal dictator who murdered scores of his fellow citizens.  On his deathbed in London, justice was finally served and he was extradited for war crimes.  The entire CIA operation which helped put him in power was done for U.S. multinational business interests.  IT&T was infamous this time as Ford Motor Co. was in neighboring Argentina.

The Vice President's remarks today:

REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

AT THE FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE

Flight 93 National Memorial

Shanksville, Pennsylvania

10:30 A.M. EDT

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:   Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  Superintendent -- Jeff, you've done a remarkable job here.  And the thing I notice when I speak to you about is you're invested in this place.  It sort of has a -- sort of stolen a piece of your heart.  And that's why I'm confident that all that you plan will happen.

    Patrick, you're keeping the flame alive, and keeping the families together is -- from my experience, I imagine you all find solace in seeing one another.  There's nothing like being able to talk with someone who you know understands.

    And it's an honor -- it's a genuine honor to be back here today.  But like all of the families, we wish we weren't here.  We wish we didn't have to be here.  We wish we didn't have to commemorate any of this.  And it's a bittersweet moment for the entire nation, for all of the country, but particularly for those family members gathered here today.

    Last year, the nation and all of your family members that are here commemorated the 10th anniversary of the heroic acts that gave definition to what has made America such a truly exceptional place -- the individual acts of heroism of ordinary people in moments that could not have been contemplated, but yet were initiated.

    I also know from my own experience that today is just as momentous a day for all of you, just as momentous a day in your life, for each of your families, as every September 11th has been, regardless of the anniversary.  For no matter how many anniversaries you experience, for at least an instant, the terror of that moment returns; the lingering echo of that phone call; that sense of total disbelief that envelops you, where you feel like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest.

    My hope for you all is that as every year passes, the depth of your pain recedes and you find comfort, as I have, genuine comfort in recalling his smile, her laugh, their touch.  And I hope you're as certain as I am that she can see what a wonderful man her son has turned out to be, grown up to be; that he knows everything that your daughter has achieved, and that he can hear, and she can hear how her mom still talks about her, the day he scored the winning touchdown, how bright and beautiful she was on that graduation day, and know that he knows what a beautiful child the daughter he never got to see has turned out to be, and how much she reminds you of him.  For I know you see your wife every time you see her smile on your child's face.  You remember your daughter every time you hear laughter coming from her brother's lips.  And you remember your husband every time your son just touches your hand.

    I also hope -- I also hope it continues to give you some solace knowing that this nation, all these people gathered here today, who are not family members, all your neighbors, that they've not forgotten.  They've not forgotten the heroism of your husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers.  And that what they did for this country is still etched in the minds of not only you, but millions of Americans, forever.  That's why it's so important that this memorial be preserved and go on for our children and our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren, and our great-great-grandchildren -- because it is what makes it so exceptional.  And I think they all appreciate, as I do, more than they can tell you, the incredible bravery your family members showed on that day.

    I said last year my mom used to have an expression.  She'd say, Joey, bravery resides in every heart, and someday it will be summoned.  It's remarkable -- remarkable -- how it was not only summoned, but acted on.

    Today we stand on this hallowed ground, a place made sacred by the heroism and sacrifice of the passengers and the crew of Flight 93.  And it's as if the flowers, as I walked here, as if the flowers were giving testament to how sacred this ground is.

    My guess -- and obviously it's only a guess; no two losses are the same.  But my guess is you're living this moment that Yeats only wrote about, when he wrote, pray I will and sing I must, but yet I weep.  Pray I will, sing I must, but yet I weep.

    My personal prayer for all of you is that in every succeeding year, you're able to sing more than you weep.  And may God truly bless you and bless the souls of those 40 incredible people who rest in this ground.

Pennsylvania has been a major presidential battleground state for years.  Every fourth year we see the candidates and their surrogates criss-crossing the Commonwealth.  I was gearing up for  a busy, hectic two months following the campaigns when everyone pulled out.  Polls show President Obama surging to a 9 point lead in polls so Romney/Ryan, their surrogate Super PACs and even Obama's related Super PAC folded their tents and went to Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire and Colorado.

It isn't fun being ignored.  I enjoyed engaging stupid, moronic Republicans waiting in line at events and watching their eyes glaze over as I recited actual facts to rebut their Rush/Faux News talking points.  But I need to question the polls:  does anyone really have a clue how many of those Obama supporters will be able to vote?  Voter ID is going to turn this into a much closer election because Republicans in Harrisburg have engaged in legal (for now) election rigging.  For all their talk and outrage over non-existent voter impersonation they have no qualms about voter suppression and the resulting election rigging.

Unless the pollsters are also asking each voter if they're eligible to vote under the new rules their results mean nothing.

by WALTER BRASCH

As a society we have allowed our children to believe they are all not just above average but superior.

Because we're afraid to hurt anyone's fragile psyche, or not be loved, or because we're afraid of some nebulous retaliation if we aren't soft, we dish out A's and B's as if they were scoops of ice cream on a humid day, the equivalent of myriad certificates and trophies for we give our children for showing up so they don't feel "left out" in sports and innumerable other activities.

Grade Inflation is rampant throughout the educational system. A recent UCLA study revealed that although students are studying less than ever, grades of A- and A in high school classes are the most common grades. At many colleges, over half the class graduate with some kind of honors, making it difficult to distinguish the truly exceptional from the grade-exceptional. The pursuit in college is of grades, not knowledge, so it's not surprising that students are as adept at cheating as they are in hiding booze in dorm rooms.

At the university where I taught, last year's freshman class had an average SAT of 1004 in verbal and quantitative tests, making their achievement dead-center average for the nation. But their high school g.p.a. was 3.3, about a B+. Those who don't do well on the SAT shrug it off as "Well, like, y'know, I just kinda don't do good on tests."

At many colleges, at least one-third of incoming freshmen are enrolled in remedial courses. But they and the rest of the student body can graduate within six years by packaging a program of "cake" courses with watered down content.

At many colleges, the grades of "D" and "F" officially don't exist; at many colleges, students can even drop classes any time, just so they don't get a (horrors!) "C."

In 2004, Princeton established a guideline that there should be no more than 35 percent A's in freshman/sophomore courses, and 55 percent A's in specialized upper division courses. Even then, the recommendations, while lowering some of the grade inflation, were still above what used to be a "bell-shaped curve" that once suggested A's and F's should be about 10 percent of a general education class; B's and D's about 20 percent; and C's, the average grade, about 40 percent.

One of the reasons for grade inflation is that some teachers and professors can't distinguish achievement levels or create tests that require higher level thinking and not a recitation of facts. Another reason is that teachers and profs want to be liked, to be seen as a buddy, who often allow students to call them by their first names and who go drinking in the same places students congregate. More common, there is a strong correlation between semester-end evaluations of professors and grades; high grades by teachers and profs, especially in colleges that use student evaluations for tenure and promotion, tend to propel similar high student evaluations.

Because of runaway grade inflation, students avoid professors who believe the grade of "C" is the average grade and who set up standards that require students to do more than show up, read a couple of hundred pages, and answer a few questions. Even then, a significant minority of our students spend more time trying to plea-bargain the professor into raising the grade than they do studying for the exams. If the professor doesn't acquiesce, the student's parents call administrators whose backbones are as strong as warm Jello and who subconsciously go along with the fiction that because some parent is paying thousands of dollars to send their precious child to college, the college has an obligation not to educate that child but to reward that child with trinkets known as high grades. Thus, some Helicopter Moms are sure that grades of C, D, and F are not their child's fault, but the fault of a system that took their hard-earned money and won't even do the minimal work of issuing the "right" grade.

High grades are important, every student wails, because it means being able to get into college, grad school, or to get a little extra consideration in the job market. But if all students get high grades, then the evaluation criteria becomes meaningless; the exceptional student may get into college and grad school, but so will those who get high grades but aren't as exceptional. Companies hiring freshly-scrubbed graduates may soon disregard not only syrupy letters of recommendation but grade point averages as well.

Until we stop believing it's a Constitutional right to get A's, with B's seen as acceptable and C's as failure, as a nation we'll continue to complain about inferior workmanship, and, wonder why the U.S. ranked 32nd in the world in math abilities and 17th in reading ability, according to a recent study by Harvard's Program on Education Policy and Governance.

[Dr. Brasch was a university professor for 30 years. He is an award-winning columnist and author of 17 books, including the critically-acclaimed novel, Before the First Snow: Stories from the Revolution. For several years he was a newspaper and magazine reporter and editor.]

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Walter M. Brasch, Ph.D.

Latest Book: Before the First Snow: Stories from the Revolution

(www.greeleyandstone.com)

www.walterbrasch.com

www.walterbrasch.blogspot.com

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

The American Working Families Action Fund is accusing Gov. Tom Corbett of using state time, staff and resources, the very crimes for which he prosecuted and imprisoned legislators and staffers during BonusGate, to compile a political enemies list.  They accuse Dennis Roddy, a Corbett communications staffer, of to research the members of the facebook page for the group which has been highly critical of the Governor.  He then posted political comments at PoliticsPA, a political blog, on state time.

In a press release this morning American Working Families Action Fund said this:

POLITICAL WORK BEING DONE AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE

DIRECTLY INSIDE PA GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT'S OFFICE

American Working Families (AWF) Action Fund has learned that an employee working inside the office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett had researched the backgrounds of people who appeared in our organization's Facebook page.  Dennis Roddy, who is a Corbett communications staffer, used some of that research to post political comments on a blog dedicated to politics while apparently working on state time.  Additionally, Roddy, in his official capacity as a spokesman for Governor Corbett distributed the information that he had gathered to a reporter at the same blog where he later posted comments.   (source: http://www.politicspa.com/grou...

While it is appropriate for the governor's office to respond to the issues our organization has raised about the administration's record it is entirely inappropriate for a state employee on state time and using taxpayer-funded resources to conduct political opposition research and to post political statements on a blog dedicated to politics. We view this as a taxpayer-funded act of political intimidation.

Roddy's action of doing a background check on people and an organization critical of the administration's record concerns us that the governor's office is compiling an enemies list.  We are also concerned that Pennsylvania people who "liked" our Facebook page have been or continue to be subjects of taxpayer-funded background checks.  At the very least, the governor's office should disclose exactly what actions have been taken and release all documents and phone records related to this research.

The political nature of the governor's office has been transparent to our organization ever since we first aired ads critical of the administration.  Previously, yet another spokesperson for the governor chose to make political and personal attacks on our organization's chairperson.  To date no one within Tom Corbett's administration has responded appropriately to the actual issues raised.  Now Roddy's conduct goes well beyond an incidental political comment in response to official matters.   Opposition research is clearly not appropriate when carried out by a state employee on state time.

Pennsylvania people should be troubled to learn that politics is being played on state time at taxpayer expense from inside the governor's office.  They should also be alarmed that the governor allows a culture to exist where employees feel free to engage in such political acts.  The governor's political operation should reside at his campaign headquarters or at the Pennsylvania Republican Party where it is funded by private donations instead of by taxpayers.

We are hopeful that this most recent episode will spur the state's media to ask more questions and to demand more documents from the governor's office.  What deserves to be learned is the scope of political work being done on state time from within the walls of Tom Corbett's own office.

Gov. Corbett has been accused of hypocrisy before for using state cell phones for political purposes while running for Governor.  This would, if true, put him in the exact same position as all those he prosecuted as Attorney General for using taxpayer funded state personnel and resources for political purposes.  Under the Corbett plan he would go to state prison for this.  Interestingly perhaps the worst cases of all of the public corruption in Harrisburg involved the Orie sisters.  Sen. Jane Orie is now sitting in state prison and Janine and Justice Joan Orie Melvin sit in the dock awaiting trial.  Tom Corbett missed them amidst allegations he was only interested in prosecuting Democrats.  Allegheny County found and prosecuted the Republican Ories.

Corbett infamously investigated the website CasablancaPA as it began attacking him for hypocrisy during BonusGate.  He allegedly dug and dug trying to discover who was behind the anonymous blog.

Roddy posted the following comments (time stamped as being done during the work day):

POLITICAL COMMENTS POSTED BY DENNIS RODDY ON POLITICSPA.COM DURING THE WORK-DAY:

(source: http://www.politicspa.com/grou...

1.

Dennis Roddy on September 7, 2012 at 12:16 pm said:

Why doesn't somebody ask Bud Jackson about Bartley Keane?

2.

Dennis Roddy on September 7, 2012 at 12:26 pm said:

Bill DeWeese and Mike Veon aren't the first clients on whom Bud Jackson has cut-and-run. He advised Roland Burris in Illinois and, when scandal broke out, Bud broke into a run:

http://capitolfax.com/2009/02/...

3.

Dennis Roddy (Governor's Office) on September 7, 2012 at 12:37 pm said:

Another Bud Jackson fun-fact: He is using stock photos of models for some of his "American Working Families" promotion. The photo was taken by Chris Futcher in his studio in Ontario.

Futcher verifies: the models are all Canadians. That's right. Bud Jackson is using stock photos of Canadians and passing them off as "America's Working Families."

With that kind of attention to detail, you have to wonder who's bankrolling Bud Jackson's freelance campaign against Tom Corbett.

4.

Dennis Roddy (Governor's Office) on September 7, 2012 at 1:49 pm said:

Hi Kevin.

Opposition research? Hardly.We were fielding questions about these ads when they started and immediately set out to figure out who and what we were answering. Bud has left quite a trail.

There is nothing inappropriate about responding to falsehoods and unwarranted attacks on Tom Corbett's job as governor. That's why I used my full name and connections.

Their ads must be getting under the infamous thin skin of Governor Gasbag:

I missed ost of last night's convention due to an event in Harrisburg.  My friend Chris Dietz is running for the State House and two of our Planned Parenthood staffers hosted a private reception for him to raise funds for his campaign.  I've known Chris and his partner Alex Reber, an active Board member of our Planned Parenthood of Northeast, Mid-Penn and Bucks County affiliate, for a number of years and enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones last night.

I listened to some of the convention coverage coming home and watched VP Biden and President Obama once I arrived back in Reading.  Both accepted their nominations.  The two best speeches I've seen (thank you YouTube) were by Jennifer Granholm and John Lewis.  Granholm, former Governor of Michigan really fired things up talking about the auto industry.  Lewis referenced Mike Turzai and Pennsylvania in his speech about voter suppression.

My annual trip to Santa Fe will be just after the election.  

I'm still waiting for the Obama camp to respond to the meme of the "You didn't build that" misquote.  This thing has gotten legs because they have yet to cut the legs out from under it.  Also I noticed no mention of either climate change or civil liberties at the convention.

The spat continues between Mayor Nutter and Philadelphia's fire fighters.  As they die battling conflagrations questions are being asked about safety.

I'm so old I recall when the Voyager spaceships were launched.  The fact Voyager 1 is now close to leaving the solar system is mind boggling.

Mitt Romney's tax returns have been stolen.  A hacker group is seeking a large ransom.  This could be interesting.  How much is he willing to pay to keep them secret...and why?

Mitt ran into a gay veteran:

State Representative Jesse White is proposing making the head of DEP an elected position.  Currently the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection is appointed by the Governor.  Interesting...

I love Robert Reich who always hits the nail right on the head:

Bill Clinton was on fire last night using emotionally charged facts and figures to destroy Mitt Romney and Paul "Lyin'" Ryan.  He even charged the Wisconsin Congressman for "having some brass" to repeatedly lie in his convention speech in Tampa.  Speaking for well over his allotted time the former President was on a roll and told voters "we simply cannot afford to give the reins of government to someone who will double down on trickle down."  He repeated the importance of arithmatic tot he budgetary process.

I stayed up until around 12:40 AM when the Commonwealth's delegate votes were finally announced.  Led by Sen. Bob Casey, Mayor Michael Nutter, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz and Chair Jim Burn, the large Pennsylvania delegation, I imagine, was happy to get back to its hotel.  Unsurprisingly Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination for President and will accept it tonight.  His speech has been moved from the nearby football stadium where 65,000 people had tickets and another 19,000 were on a waiting list according to the DNC.

In case you missed it Clinton's speech:

Democrats stood up for their values last night.  Massachusetts Gov. Duval Patrick, the star of the night on Twitter, told them to grow a backbone and do so.  They stood up for gays, for women, for Latinos, for the middle class.  I didn't hear much about the poor and the absence of the "Two Americas" theme is disturbing since it is so powerful.  It is possible to do so without invoking the memory of John Edwards.

Nancy Keenan of NARAL spoke about rape, forced ultrasounds and the war on women.  CNN pundit Eric Erickson caused a firestorm on Twitter when he called this the opening of The Vagina Monologues all week.  The Tweet was widely seen as sexist and his Tweets attacking the memory of Ted Kennedy were insulting and ignorant.  CNN should be hugely embarrassed.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland spoke as if he'd had too much coffee while reminding everyone how rescuing the auto industry has now created 1,000,000 new manufacturing jobs.  His best line was saying that if Mitt Romney were Santa he'd fire the reindeer and outsource the elves.  

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was very good but had the misfortune of following Patrick.  Gov. Patrick reminded us that being Governor was a job Mitt wanted, not one he wished to do.  He said  "Mitt Romney talks a lot about all the things he's fixed. I can tell you that Massachusetts wasn't one of them."  David Axelrod Tweets these key lines prior to the speeches by the way.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, introduced by his twin brother, introduced the First Lady.  I'm waiting for Rush to tell his dittoheads the Dems invited the Castro brothers to speak.  Those morons will assume he meant Fidel and Raul instead of the actual Joaquin and Julian.  I expect to see signs on this at GOP rallies this fall.  That should be fun.

Michelle Obama spoke about her husband, the kind of man he is, the type of father he is and the president he is.  We heard a lot about Barack Obama last night unlike the GOP convention which seemed to envelop itself in as many lies and falsehoods as possible without mentioning its candidate.

The prime time appearances by Patrick and O'Malley foreshadow 2016 when both will be major players for the nomination should Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton pass on the opportunity.  The Democratic bench is deep with good Governors while the GOP has only Chris Christie who may not even survive to 2016.  The man can't walk even 100 yards...

On CNN this morning a Republican talking head lied (I didn't get his name) that the President didn't reach out to the other side after taking office.  As all of you know I'm not the biggest Obama fan out here but I'll call a lie when I see it.  This is a lie and no one challenged him.  President Obama bent over backward for years trying to do business with Republicans.  He even went to Capital Hill to meet with them and caved repeatedly to their demands to pass legislation.  The problem is you cannot negotiate with people who think what's theirs is theirs and what's yours is negotiable.

The video highlights:

tonight's highlight is former President Bill Clinton.  Other speakers to watch are Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood, Elizabeth Warren, Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware and Richard Trumka (6Pm hour).  Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will also speak along with retiring Congressman Barney Frank.  I've never seen a convention where openly gay speakers were prominent and almost every speaker refers to marriage equality.

The speech last night by the First Lady:

Here is her recent speech at Moravian College which I covered and recorded:

In order to balance our progressive coverage here's Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for President (and my choice) on economic issues: