Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Towamensing Township residents protest PennEast pipeline

Yesterday at 3 p.m. over 40 Towamensing Township residents showed up at the Towamensing Township Supervisors’ meeting to request the Supervisors to pass a resolution against the PennEast pipeline.  Residents explained the environmental and safety problems inherent in a fracking gas pipeline, and questioned the use of eminent domain powers given to a private for-profit company.  

I was heartened by the unity of the crowd, which included people who were born and raised in the township and people who moved to the township just last year.  Men and women, old and young, conservatives and liberals--all were united in opposition to PennEast.  

I was also impressed that the group did not simply want the pipeline moved to a neighboring township.  This was not a “Not In My Back Yard” group.  This was a “Stop the goddamn thing in its tracks” group.


The Supervisors asked the residents to appoint a committee to prepare a resolution for their consideration.  The committee has already been formed; the goal is to have the resolution opposing the pipeline passed by the February meeting.  If the Supervisors reflect the opinion of their constituents, the resolution will pass unanimously.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

What went right in 2014

We can all think of global and American problems, but it is time to review what went right.

Ebola:  This disease broke out in the poorest and least medically advanced part of the world, and, thanks both to international aid and heroic efforts by locals, the disease had been largely contained.  In the U.S., in spite of panic-mongering and Fox News, we had only one death.

The Affordable Care Act:  It’s working.  Millions of people are now covered by insurance, including stupid people like the woman in Kentucky who is having her teeth fixed because of the law, but says, “There are a lot of things about Obamacare that scare me.”  Probably one of them is that the policy can’t cure stupid.

Gas prices:  When gas prices were high, people blamed the President.  Now that they are low, let’s give him some credit.

The economy:  It’s doing really well.  See gas prices above.

The climate march:  Over 400,000 people marched in New York in September to draw attention to climate change.  Combine that with the U.S./China agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and it feels like we are finally making some headway.

Tom Wolf’s election:  In an election that saw Republican yahoos winning across the U.S., the Wolf election was a bright spot.  Goodbye Corbett.  

Obama finds his sea legs:  After six years of frustrating his followers, the President has moved on both immigration reform and Cuban policy.  I think we will see more of the new Obama in the next two years.

The minimum wage:  When a state like Arkansas passes an initiative raising the minimum wage, you know that we’ll be seeing more action on this policy.


Gay marriage:  If you want an example of how quickly public opinion can change on an issue, look at gay marriage.  Ten years ago it was difficult to get support for civil unions, and now gay marriage is accepted by just about everyone.

Monday, December 29, 2014

A Carbon County environmental organization

Carbon County has three state parks, acres of state game land, trout streams, lakes, wetlands, a fairly large river, an Environmental Center on Lentz Trail and a nature center at Lehigh Gap.  What we don’t have is a county-wide environmental group working to preserve our environmental heritage.  


I think we need one to act on new threats like the PennEast pipeline and loss of farmland and old threats like acid mine drainage.  I know Carbon County is chock full of environmentalists, but we aren’t organized, and as individuals we don’t have much power.  I’m thinking that next year I might just work on an organizational structure to give all of us tree huggers some real clout. 

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Elizabeth Warren on unions

A Fighting Chance was not the most exciting book I’ve read this year (that would be a John Sandford police procedural), but it was the most profound.  Let me quote just one paragraph on unions, and you can see why Warren has made an impact.  In the section on her campaign against Scott Brown, she discusses how the union fight for better wages and shorter hours and retirement security benefited all Americans, not just union members.  


Often enough during the campaign, I would hear the phrase corporate and labor influence in politics, as if “corporate” and “labor” were somehow two sides of the same coin.  Really?  Does anyone believe that an army of lobbyists fighting for tax loopholes and special breaks for one corporation is the same as the unions fighting for Social Security and equal pay?  Does anyone believe that when corporations give money to take down unions and support so-called right-to-work laws, there are unions giving equal money to try to put companies out of business (and themselves out of a job)?  Does anyone think that for every billionaire executive who can afford to write a check for $10 million to get his candidate elected to office, there is a union guy who can do the same?  Give me a break.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Four days, four movies

Dec. 24:  Night at the Museum, III
     Or was it #4.  If you saw either of the first two, you knew what to expect.  Most of this one takes place at the British Museum in London.  If you like Ben Stiller, enjoy peeing monkeys, or want to see Robin Williams in his last film, don’t miss it.

Dec. 25:  Into the Woods
In the previews no singing was evident.  How did I know this was made from a musical by Sondheim, with not one of the songs singable?  What I saw of the movie seemed rather clever (a mashup of mostly Grimm fairytales), but I really can’t judge, since I slept during most of it.  Linda, who did not sleep, did not like the film and is still angry at me for sleeping through it.

Dec. 26:  The Homesman
We saw this one in East Stroudsburg.  It stars Hillary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones, and it is a hard movie to watch.  The two main characters transport three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa in a mule-drawn wagon circa 1870 so the women can be shipped back east.  The lady who cleans up the popcorn told us the film was “intense,” and that is an understatement.  Great acting, great scenes, and both of us had trouble sleeping last night.

Dec. 27:  The Interview

Bruce, the manager at Mahoning Cinema, told me only nine theaters in PA had the film, and Mahoning was one of them.  I went out of a sense of duty to stick it to the North Koreans, intending to walk out if it got too gross.  Believe me, it does get gross--it is, after all, a Seth Rogan film--but I thought it was also pretty funny.  I did not fall asleep.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Car loan cheats

A good portion of Elizabeth Warren’s book A Fighting Chance concerns her fight to establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).  The banks fought her every step of the way, but the agency was approved and is functioning.  It has mandated more easily understandable mortgage and loan agreements.

During the approval battle, Warren wanted to include car loans in the CFPB’s purview, but all over the U.S. car dealers lobbied their members of Congress to take car financing off the table.

Today a front page article in the New York Times explained how car companies are using deceptive practices called “title loans.”  The average car buyer doesn’t read the small print and wouldn’t understand it if he or she did.  (Before you say that’s their fault, when is the last time you read the agreement for a computer program or a medical procedure?)

I don’t understand how title loans work even after reading the article, but they involve borrowers turning over the title of their cars in exchange for cash.  


It is always amazing to me how many vicious crooks inhabit the financial world.  As Senator Warren says, “The system is rigged.”

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Holiday message

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.
--Dr. Martin Luther King

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Holiday Party

On Monday evening we went to a party with about thirty friends.  As part of the evening’s entertainment, I gave the party goers a quiz..  (I can’t help myself--it’s in my DNA.)

Here are just two of the questions:
Of the following, which group has given the most money to Hillary Clinton’s campaigns:
A.  IBEW.
B.  the Sierra Club.
C.  Goldman Sachs.
D.  the Koch Brothers.

Which of the following employs the most U.S. workers:
A.  typesetting.
B.  solar power.
C.  coal mining.
D.  canal boat maintenance.

An opinion question at the end asked whom the guests would like to see as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016.  Elizabeth Warren came in first, followed by Hillary Clinton, followed by Bernie Sanders.  Jim Webb and Joe Biden received one vote each.  


Incidentally the answers to the questions above are C, Goldman Sachs, and B, solar power.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Marco Rubio, optimist

I’m doing a year-end clean out, and I decided to toss a “Golden Press” paperback entitled The Southeast.  The copyright was 1959.  I was a junior in high school that year.

I happened to open the book to a section called Nearby Islands, which included the Bahamas and Cuba.  The description of Cuba noted some of the sites and said a ”car ferry” operated from Key West to Cuba.  The very last line of the Cuba section noted: “Cuba is now out of bounds for United States citizens.”


So, we had a policy at least 55 years old that has not worked, but Sen. Marco Rubio wants to continue it.  Maybe he thinks it will work next year.  

Monday, December 22, 2014

Ronald McDonald, Union Buster

The NLRB has charged over 75 McDonald’s franchise operations and the McDonald’s Corporation for retaliating against workers who participated in demonstrations for a $15 an hour wage.  

The McDonald’s Corporation says it is not a “joint employer” and has no responsibility for what its franchise operators do.


This is a company that is so proud of the fact that you can walk into any McDonald’s in the U.S.and get exactly the same quality french fries.  When you see those happy people on TV eating at McDonald’s, is the McDonald’s at the Mahoning Mall paying for that ad?  I don’t think so.  Of course McDonald’s bears a responsibility for its franchise operators.  

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Ohio as role model

On Wednesday the Ohio House approved a bill to draw state legislative district boundaries using a bipartisan process designed to make the districts more competitive.  

In 2012 Obama won Ohio, but the state legislature is overwhelmingly Republican, and Republicans hold 12 out of the 16 Congressional seats.

Since the Republicans have a majority, why would they support such a bill?  Two reasons.  First, some Republicans realized they may not always have a majority, and the Democrats could gerrymander when they get into power.  Secondly, the Republicans were worried about a proposed referendum that could have gone even further.  The current bill applies only to state legislative districts, not Congressional districts. 

Nonetheless, it’s a start.  Now if we could only get the Pennsylvania legislature to see the light.


Saturday, December 20, 2014

The National Film Registry

In the middle of all the gloom and bad news, a small ray of sunshine peeks through.  “The Big Lebowski” has been added to the National Film Registry.  


The dude abides.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Cuomo bans fracking in New York

Just think of that.  No toxic chemicals pumped into the subsoil.  No pads in state forests and parks.  No wells polluted.  No rivers running with toxic chemicals.  No pipelines tearing up the environment.  No fires.  No explosions.


New York had a moratorium on fracking until it was proven that the risks could be managed.  No proof has been forthcoming.  (In PA we don’t worry about such things.)

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Kim Jong-un, Movie Critic

Actually, the dude is half-right.  Seth Rogan has never made a decent movie.  

On the other hand, we need to change that slogan, “Home of the Brave, Land of the Free” to “Home of the Scared, Land of the Fraidy Cats.”

We went through this before when the Ayatollah issued a Fatwa against Salman Rushdie for the Satanic Verses.  Bookstores all over the U.S., including the Campus Bookstore at San Jose State, pulled the book, fearing reprisals.  I wrote a scathing letter to the bookstore, but like so many of my scathing letters, I don’t remember it having an effect.  

I did find a bookstore that stocked Satanic Verses, and I bought it in solidarity with Rushdie, although I never read it.  If “The Interview” is ever released, I’ll have to see it to just to thumb my nose at North Korea, but that’s the only reason I’ll go. 

Explanation for posting gaps:

Yesterday I had a pacemaker implanted.  I’ve been having a slow heartbeat, which caused a certain amount of breathlessness and fatigue.  Now if my heartbeat goes below 60 beats per minute, the pacemaker kicks in.  I’m not supposed to keep a cell phone near it; evidently the phone can mess up the signal.  That won’t be a problem.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

White Rhinos

The world’s population stands at about 7.2 billion people.  The white rhinoceros population stands at five.  There were six, but one died yesterday.  The remaining five are in zoos, but not of reproductive age.

Rhinos are killed for their horns, thought to be an aphrodisiac by many people in the Far East.  


The rhino news was buried in the back pages of the Morning Call.  I would have run it on the front page with a very large headline.  We really need to wake up to what we are doing both to this planet and to each other.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Dick Cheney

If Dick Cheney had been Japanese, and if he had survived the Pacific War, and if he had been captured by the Americans, do you realize he would have been hung for supervising the kind of torture he is now defending?  

Cheney received all kinds of deferments to avoid Vietnam.  He lied about the reasons to invade Iraq, he said we would be greeted as liberators in Iraq, and he continues to poison the American political system with his defense of torture.


He doesn’t even have the old Nazi excuse of “I was only following orders.”  As Vice President he was helping to give the orders.  What a disgusting and evil man.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Matt Cartwright does the right thing

A few days ago the House of Representatives passed a very bad bill.  The 1600-page bill funds the government throughout the middle of next year.  

It also loosens the banking regulations that were put in place to prevent crises like the one in 2008.  How is it that Congress can kiss up to Wall Street but not extend unemployment benefits?  How is it that Citibank gets a break, but not Wal-Mart workers?  Why would House Democrats vote for a bill will allow individuals to donate more millions in campaign contributions?

The bill was touted as a compromise.  Here is what compromise means in Washington.  The Democrats roll over.


I am pleased to say that my Congressman, Matt Cartwright, did not roll over.  He voted against the bill.  Thank you, Rep. Cartwright.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Rep. Jerry Knowles


Last week Penn State President Eric Barron stood in solidarity with a group of black students in front of Old Main.  President Barron raised his hands in the air in a gesture associated with the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.  I participated in a number of demonstrations in the Sixties at Old Main, and the Penn State President, whose name I can’t remember, was nowhere near the place.  As an alumnus, I am quite pleased with President Barron.

Along comes Jerry Knowles (R), representative of Schuylkill County and Summit Hill, who, according to the Morning Call, stated, “I believe he should either issue a public apology to law enforcement officials, or step down as president of the university.”


I am often irritated or disappointed with my own representative Doyle Heffley, but then I pause and think, at least he’s not Jerry Knowles.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Dogs in Heaven?

Over the years people have approached me about running for various public offices in Pennsylvania, but I’m not allowed to.  The Pennsylvania Constitution says that people can’t be disqualified from running for office on the basis of religion as long as they believe in God “and a future state of rewards and punishments,” which I assume means you have to believe also in a heaven and a hell.  (See Article I, Section 4).


Now I read that the Pope told a little kid that heaven will admit dogs.  Just when I was starting to come around to thinking maybe heaven wasn’t such a bad idea, I find out that dogs would be there.  Pit bulls?  Rottweilers?  And if dogs, probably cats.  And what about my chickens?

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Back from California

We arrived home from a ten-day trip to California this morning at 2:00 a.m.  We were actually scheduled to fly out today, but we moved our departure up to avoid the monster storm.

There are so many things to like about California, but here’s a bad thing.  After California legalized marijuana use, Mexican drug cartels moved into the national forests to grow dope.  These are not the old hippies of Mendocino County who grew pot for their friends with a little on the side to sell.

These are people who use insecticides and herbicides, put plastic bottles of poison around their plants for bears to bite into, use large amounts of water in a state with major shortages, cut down acres of trees, and are dangerous to both hunters and backpackers. 


I know a number of people who voted for the marijuana initiative who wish they hadn’t.  Of course, one way to eliminate the cartels would be to legalize pot growing in every state.  If the price came down, the cartels would have no incentive to undertake their illegal and harmful activities.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The Torture Report


Yesterday we drove through Paskenta, a small town in Tehama County.  A substation of the Mendocino National Forest is located there, along with an interpretative sign explaining that Paskenta was on the route of a forced march of California Indians. U.S. Army soldiers moved the Indians from the Central Valley to the remote Round Valley Indian Reservation in 1863.  The marchers included women and children, over 100 of whom died along the way.

American history is full of terrible events.  The Trail of Tears, Japanese incarceration in World War II, the draft riots in New York, discrimination against Okies, and of course, slavery.  

What makes us different from many countries is that we don’t hide our blemishes.  We discuss them, put up interpretative signs, teach our students.

I understand that many Congressional Republicans wanted to keep the Torture Report secret.  Former President Bush has defended the CIA operatives who tortured or permitted it to happen.  On the other hand, Sen. McCain gave a heart-felt defense of the report and said torture “had stained our honor.”

I have three points to make:

1.  The information the U.S. authorities gleaned from tortured individuals was minimal.

2.  Even if the information had been vital, it does not justify torture.  The U.S. should not be emulating evil regimes.  Ever.  It is not what we do.

3.  We need to publicize what we have done.  One argument was that the report will lead to other groups or countries to torture Americans.  I’m pretty sure they already knew about what the U.S. has done.  What is important is that WE know what American officials have done in our name.  That way we can make sure it does not happen again.

Oliver! A Review


Dateline:  Chico, CA

The Hooker Oak Elementary School’s production of “Oliver!” featured fine acting, boisterous singing (some slightly off-key), and a large cast ranging in age from kindergarten to sixth grade.

The audience, consisting for the most part of parents, grandparents, and siblings, gave the performance a rousing round of applause.  The director, Brian Holderman, who is also the school principal, used the play as a fundraiser to improve the school’s theater, especially the lighting and sound capabilities.  The school was built in 1948.

Two actors were standouts.  The young woman who played Nancy sang a solo that brought a round of applause.  She also delivered a scream that rivaled Fay Wray’s in “King Kong.”

The other standout was Gavin Newkirk who starred in two roles--a workhouse boy and a shoeshine boy.  He didn’t just play those parts, he became a workhouse boy and a shoeshine boy.  I think young Newkirk could have a brilliant career on the stage.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Jobs report


Last month the U.S. added 321,000 jobs.  It was the 57th straight month of job increases--a new record.

President Obama has been blamed for just about everything--Ebola, Benghazi, ISIS, Ferguson, etc. etc.

So when the economy is coming back, let’s give the guy some credit.  He deserves it.

Wheat v. rice



In yesterday’s Times, T. M. Luhrmann, a professor of anthropology at Stanford, discussed the different cognitive orientations of people who grew rice (context sensitive, more cooperative) vs. those who grew wheat (context insensitive, more individualistic). 

Rice farmers need complex irrigation systems and lots of community activity.  Wheat farmers simply depend on the rain.  Luhrmann examines a study of Chinese north and south of the Yangtze.  North of the river, wheat is grown; south is a rice growing area.

Now for yesterday’s question.  The rice growers (more holistic, more context sensitive) said that the train and the train tracks belong together because they work together.  The wheat growers (more analytical, less context sensitive) said the bus and train go together, because they both carry people.

Since I picked the train and the train tracks, my orientation is evidently more toward the community rather than the individual. I grew up on what was essentially a communal farm (three brothers working together, splitting the work and profits equally).  At least I think that’s a good explanation.

Friday, December 5, 2014

Which two?


Which two of these three belong together:  train tracks, a bus, a train?  Think about this.  

I’ll give you the answer tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Dr. Ben Carson

Today I happened to see an interview of Dr. Benjamin Carson by Wolf Blitzer.  Carson said the Affordable Care Act was the worst thing that had happened to the U.S. since slavery.  Blitzer asked, worse than the Great Depression, worse than Vietnam, worse than 9/11?  Carson, who is African-American, said yes, since slavery.

An act that brought health care to millions is the worst thing since slavery.  I have heard that Carson is being mentioned as a Republican presidential candidate.  I'm not kidding.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Elizabeth Warren

I’m about a third of the way through Elizabeth Warren’s book entitled A Fighting Chance.  I’ll give you a full book report when I’ve finished, but just based on the first third, I would vote for this woman for President without any reservations whatsoever.  (I can’t say the same about Clinton.)


Warren is a person who understands that the game is rigged against the middle and lower classes, and she is not afraid to say it.  That’s why she will never be nominated.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Opening Day

When I was a kid, opening day of deer season was a big deal.  Our house usually served as headquarters for “the gang.”  In those days up to 15 men would conduct “drives.”  One group would stand quietly in a line, while the other group walked through the woods whistling and shouting, acting as beaters to drive the deer toward the standers.  You had to know what you were doing; otherwise someone would get shot.

I went out a few times, but I never liked it.  First of all, it involved getting up at 4:30.  You put on heavy clothes, and you had to go out into the cold woods while it was still dark.  I was also afraid I’d shoot somebody, so I never did fire, although I actually did see a deer one time.

Nonetheless, I heartily approve of deer hunting, and I wish there were more hunters.  We have way too many deer; they are destroying the habitat of other animals; and they are devastating quite a few farms.  They eat my vegetables.

They are also stupid animals, prone to run across the road in front of cars.  I know because I hit one on 209.  They have no natural enemies, and some people in the developments actually feed them.


So good luck to all the deer hunters.  And if you are reading this and you have bagged a deer, feel free to drop off some venison.