Divernan
Divernan's JournalI heart Pennsylvania!
Serious topics aside, I just had a lovely, late summer morning driving through sun-dappled Pennsylvania woods - stopped at a country market for the last of the homegrown summer corn & fine fresh produce - then a stop at a nursery to buy 40 - count 'em - 40 winter hardy mums - and a butcher shop for some perfect center cut, stuffed pork chops (sorry, vegetarian relatives) for Sunday dinner.
My Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors settled in Pennsylvania back in 1642, and their descendants - all farmers, gradually moved west through the generations. I lived in the Midwest (Chicago) the East Coast (Baltimore/Washington D.C., Florida and the West Coast (Los Angeles & Sacramento) before moving to southwest PA back in 1969. I harbor no fantasies about the grass being greener or the skies bluer, etc., anywhere else.
Yet the beauty of Pennsylvania remains fresh and exhilirating to me even after some 45 years.
And now we're headed into my favorite season, with the glorious fall foliage.
Wishing all of my fellow Keystone Staters a beautiful autumn.
Peace!
Robert Reich: Bernie 1st pres. candidate since RFK to join picket line.
Bernie joined workers in a picket line today at a plant in Iowa, where they're seeking higher wages. The last candidate for president I recall joining a picket line was Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
For years labor unions have been marginalized or castigated by Republican politicians, and taken for granted by Democratic ones. Every four years the Democratic candidate for president promises organized labor that he or she will push hard for labor law reform once in office, but nothing ever happens. In 2008, Obama committed himself to the "Employee Free Choice Act," which would have strengthened labor protections and enabled workers to organize with a simple majority in an up-or-down vote -- but Obama never followed through. In 1992, Bill Clinton promised labor that if elected he'd make labor law reform a central issue -- but Clinton never pursued it.
Bernie is making stronger promises. He believes, accurately, that the decline of organized labor (from 33% of the private sector workforce in 1955 to less than 7% today) is directly related to the decline of the American middle class. If elected, I believe he'll follow through.
Senate candidate Sestak fund-raising for Dem. Supreme Court candidates.
Here's the email I just received from Admiral Joe Sestak. It's really important & worthwhile with this fall's historic election for Pennsylvania's State Supreme Court. Please consider contributing to these candidates. With a Democratic majority, the makeup of our Supreme Court can be a rare counterweight to the gerry-mandering of our legislative districts. Worth passing along to other PA Dems.
Nancy,
I know you might think this is a little different that I’m asking you to contribute to someone else, but we have here in Pennsylvania a once in 311-year opportunity:
For the first time since 1704, there are three vacancies on Pennsylvania’s highest court – and all three vacancies will be filled on November 3rd election by "We the People" through our vote.
When William Penn established Pennsylvania’s court system, he did so with the promise that justice would not be “sold, denied, nor delayed” and that people “of all persuasions” would have access to “open” courts. Today, we must continue that legacy.
With three of seven seats up for election this year, we have a chance to elect men and women committed to safeguarding Pennsylvanians’ public health, worker protections, environmental quality, and equal access to justice.
Please, be sure to vote in the November 3rd election, and also consider contributing to the campaigns of these three qualified candidates:
Judge David Wecht
https://davidwecht.ngpvanhost.com/contribute
Judge Christine Donohue
https://act.myngp.com/Forms/1527413566385555456
Judge Kevin Dougherty
https://act.myngp.com/Forms/-7559161631787841536
There is much at stake in my 2016 race, Nancy, but 2015 is vitally important as well. I’ll see you at the polls on November 3rd!
Warmly,
Joe
HUndreds protest over Michael Vicks at Steelers home game
Over three hundred animal rights protesters turned out Thursday before the start of the Pittsburgh Steelers last preseason game calling for Michael Vick's removal from the team.
Countless fans on their way into the stadium could be seen stopping, honking their horns and thanking members of the group for rallying against Vick, while other fans were heard saying that Vick should be forgiven.
The group gathered across from Heinz Field Thursday before the start of the game against the Carolina Panthers calling for Michael Vick's firing, with most saying the Steelers should not have signed Vick, who plead guilty for his role in a multi-state dog-fighting enterprise.
"It's hypocritical, Pittsburgh Steeler fans were the most vocal about the Philadelphia Eagles picking [Vick] up, and here they are supporting him," said Pittsburgh resident Sherri Suppa, who turned out for the anti-Vick Rally. Vick played with the Eagles from 2009-2013 as a backup quarterback.
Vybrial said that she hopes tonight's rally also brings awareness to pending legislation that would stiffen the penalties for animal cruelty and make it crime to tie animals on a line outside their homes, which she said most people do, who are engaged in dog fighting.
Currently there are three pieces of legislation pending in Pennsylvania; House Bill 113, also known as "Angel's Law," would make it a misdemeanor, up from a summary offense, for first time offenders, while repeat offenders would face felony charges. Senate Bill 373 and House Bill 1469 would make it a crime for a person to tie their animals on a line for prolonged periods of time.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/sports/hundreds-protest-over-michael-vick-at-steelers-home-game/article/442837#ixzz3klZFHxUz
Check out the photos of the protest signs. I was particularly touched by the photo of the statue of Rocco, a Pittsburgh K-9 dog who was killed in the line of duty. The statue carries the inscription, "Ever Watchful" and has been adorned with an anti-Vick t-shirt.
Obama in Alaska: We Have To Save the Ice so We Can Break It.
The arctic is changing, as we know, and Russia has 40 ice breakers with 11 more on the way. And we only have two, and one is just for science. We have to catch up.
“The growth of human activity in the Arctic region will require highly engaged stewardship to maintain the open seas necessary for global commerce and scientific research, allow for search and rescue activities, and provide for regional peace and stability,” came the statement from the White House.
Read that again. We need “stewardship” to “maintain the open seas necessary for global commerce…” Gotta keep those seas open. Commerce and all that. Ice is the problem.
Remember those word problems you hated in elementary school math? This is like that, only worse.
If Russia has 40 ice breakers and 11 on the way, and the U.S. has 2, and it takes 8 years and $1 billion to build one, and we only have the facilities to build 2 at a time, and an ice breaker only lasts 25 years, and the arctic is predicted to be ice free by 2030, how long does it take to catch up to Russia?
Extra credit: How much money will we have wasted breaking something that is disappearing anyway, and how many college educations, cancer treatments, roads and bridges could you have bought? (Take your time and show all your work.)
Welcome to the Icy Cold War to nowhere, where everyone loses except the defense contractors that build the icebreakers, and those who will benefit for a couple years from the shipping routes. It reminds me of the famous quote from a US major during the Viet Nam War, “We had to destroy the town to save it.” We have to break the ice to save it. Or save the ice so we can break it…
http://www.themudflats.net/archives/46204
Chinese Navy Ships Spotted Off Aleutian Islands
Source: Station KUCB, Unalaska, Alaska
As President Obama tours northwest Alaska, five Chinese navy ships have been spotted in the Bering Sea off southwest Alaska.
Three of China’s surface-warfare ships, a resupply vessel and a landing craft were seen in international waters off the Aleutian Islands, according to Pentagon officials.
“This is the first time we’ve observed People’s Liberation Army navy ships in the Bering Sea,” Commander Bill Urban, spokesperson for Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, said. “We do respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law. So, no reason why they shouldn’t be there.”
Urban declined to say how long the U.S. military has been tracking the ships or just where they were located in the Bering Sea.
Read more: http://kucb.org/news/article/chinese-navy-ships-spotted-off-aleutian-islands/
Note to moderators re 12 hour time limit for latest breaking news. Although this report is datelined Wednesday, it was reported on the source's website approximately 6 hours ago, Unalaksa, Alaska time. This radio station is the westernmost radio station in the United States.
Pittsburghers against Michael Vick breaks the 20,000 mark.
"The silver lining in Vick coming to our beloved city is that we can use our voice to help prevent dog fighting here and to crack down on those people who are currently partaking in it. Did you call or email your representatives today? Tell them you would like them to support House Bill 113, Senate Bill B373, and House Bill 1469. Channel your disgust and outrage into something positive. Who knows how many dogs you could save? Keep sharing our posts to get the word out."
https://www.facebook.com/Pittsburghersagainstmichaelvick/photos/a.1038972956142833.1073741828.1038306939542768/1042773545762774/?type=1&theater
Here's a final parting image for you: (From The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant, senior editor of Sports Illustrated):
“As that dog lay on the ground, fighting for air, Quanis Phillips grabbed its front legs & Michael Vick grabbed its back legs. They swung the dog over their head like a jump rope, then slammed it to the ground. The first impact didn’t kill it. So, Phillips & Vick slammed it again. The 2 men kept at it, alternating back & forth, pounding the creature against the ground until, at last, the little red dog was dead.”
Vick has been interviewed saying he really wants to get a dog; he misses having a dog. Yeah. He wants a dog the way a pedophile wants a 2 year old child.
My latest email from Bernie's campaign manager.
Bernie Sanders for President
When the Des Moines Register polled the Iowa Caucuses before we officially entered the race, Bernie Sanders trailed Hillary Clinton by more than fifty points.
In May, shortly after we announced our campaign, her lead was right around 40 points. In June, we cut the margin to twenty-five. And as Bernie shared in his email this morning, we’ve now trimmed the deficit down to single digits — just seven percentage points.
This poll confirms what we’ve known all along: we can shock the political pundits and billionaire class and win the Iowa Caucuses. And from there, we’ll take off like a rocket on our way to the Democratic nomination.
But only if we keep up the progress.
Make a contribution to Bernie 2016 today and help ensure our campaign has the resources needed to beat the billionaires who are TERRIFIED of our momentum. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
There’s one more interesting note I want to share with you in the big Iowa Caucus poll. A full NINETY-SIX percent of Bernie backers say their choice is about him and his ideas, not because they dislike any other candidates.
Far too often, Americans go to the polls and feel as if they’re voting for the lesser of two or more evils. That is not the case here — people BELIEVE in Bernie. We know that you do, too.
All my best,
Jeff Weaver
Campaign Manager
Bernie 2016
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