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HavenWorks.com/pennsylvania Pennsylvania News |
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 US
States
Pennsylvania capital: Harrisburg US
Capitals
PA: Pennsylvania Penn State
Abbr.
Pennsylvania state is bordered by the states of New Jersey (east), Delaware (southeast), Maryland (south), West Virginia (southwest), Ohio (west), and New York (north). 
Pennsylvania state also borders Delaware River (east) and Lake Erie (north). |
 Pennsylvania
- Secret
-  Corporate
-  Government
-  Crime
- Prison
-  Children's
- Rights
-  Politics
"Court overturns hundreds of cases in court scandal." ... "The Pennsylvania State Supreme Court said it would overturn the convictions of hundreds of juveniles sentenced in the midst of the Luzerne County kickback scheme." ... "Calling it a "first step," the court wielded a little- used proceeding to throw out and expunge the case records of first-time offenders convicted of minor crimes who appeared before Luzerne County Juvenile Court Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. between 2003 and 2008." ... "In a report to the Court, a specially appointed judge, Arthur E. Grim, said his investigation uncovered "routine deprivation of children's constitutional rights to appear before an impartial tribunal and have an opportunity to be heard."" ... "Today's ruling, which authorizes Grim to overturn the cases, affects as many as 1,200 juveniles, he said. Their cases will be reviewed individually to determine if they meet the court's conditions." ... "Ciavarella and another former Luzerne County judge, Michael T. Conahan, have pleaded guilty earlier this year to taking $2.6 million in secret payments from the former owner of two juvenile detention centers." ... "The judges admitted that they helped the centers secure a county contract worth millions of dollars. Ciavarella routinely sentenced children to them." -By John Sullivan -Philly.com
Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- PA
- Kids- Prisons
- Enforcement
"Pa. judges accused of jailing kids for cash: Judges allegedly took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juveniles in lockups ." ... "For years, the juvenile court system in Wilkes-Barre [Pennsylvania] operated like a conveyor belt: Youngsters were brought before judges without a lawyer, given hearings that lasted only a minute or two, and then sent off to juvenile prison for months for minor offenses." ... "The explanation, prosecutors say, was corruption on the bench." ... "Prosecutors say Luzerne County [Pennsylvania] Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan took $2.6 million in payoffs to put juvenile offenders in lockups run by PA Child Care LLC [Limited Liability Company] and a sister company, Western PA Child Care LLC." ... "In Luzerne County, prosecutors say, Conahan shut down the county-run juvenile prison in 2002 and helped the two companies secure rich contracts worth tens of millions of dollars, at least some of that dependent on how many juveniles were locked up." ... "One of the contracts — a 20-year agreement with PA Child Care worth an estimated $58 million — was later canceled by the county as exorbitant." ... "Robert J. Powell co-owned PA Child Care and Western PA Child Care until June." (1, 2) -AP via -MSNBC
Financial
-  Accounting
- Federal
- Enforcement
-  Florida
-  NY
- Pennsylvania
-  Idaho
"In Echoes Of Madoff, Ponzi Cases Proliferate." ... "Federal and state authorities are reporting a growing number of financial scams that echo the alleged Madoff fraud, as strapped investors seek access to their cash amid increasingly hard times." ... "At least six suspected multimillion-dollar fraud cases have emerged this month alone, many of them alleged Ponzi schemes, in which investors are lured by promises of lofty returns but are actually paid off from new victims' funds." ... "On Tuesday, authorities arrested Arthur Nadel, the missing Florida hedge-fund adviser, who was accused by federal authorities of defrauding clients of millions of dollars." ... "In the latest case to emerge, Nicholas Cosmo, a Long Island, N.Y. [New York], investment-firm owner, surrendered to federal authorities Monday." ... "The [Securities and Exchange Commission] agency, which doesn't keep an official count, brought at least 23 Ponzi cases last year, up from 15 in 2007. It has already filed four in 2009. That tally doesn't include actions on the state level, where allegations of securities fraud are routinely pursued." ... "Three weeks ago, the SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] accused a Philadelphia[ Pennsylvania]-area investment fund manager, Joseph S. Forte, with running a Ponzi scheme since at least 1995 that claimed returns as high as 38% and raised $50 million." ... "Meanwhile, Idaho's securities regulators are investigating allegations by investors in Idaho Falls [Idaho] that they lost up to $100 million in an alleged Ponzi scheme by Daren Palmer, a local money manager." -By Steve Stecklow with contributions by Philip Shishkin and William M. Bulkeley -WSJ.com 
 David
Vitter -  Mitch
McConnell -  Bob
Corker -  Foreign
- Money
- Politicians
-  Auto
-  Manufacturing
-  Work
-  Louisiana
-  Kentucky
-  Tennessee
- Pennsylvania
-  US
-  Japan
-  Germany
"My Foreign Investor, Right Or Wrong." ... "A bunch of Southern-state Republicans (including, amazingly, ... [Louisiana Republican Senator] David Vitter), from right-to-work states, want to push GM [General Motors] and Chrysler into bankruptcy to bolster the foreign auto presence in their home states. Kentucky has a Ford factory but they also have a [Japanese] Toyota plant in Georgetown [Kentucky], so [Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch] McConnell's on board." ... "Last week, Jane Hamsher explained the conflict of interest for [Tennessee Republican Senator] Bob Corker in Tennessee:" "He hasn't mentioned the subsidies his own state of Tennessee has given toThe GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] does a lot of chest-thumping about "Country First" and patriotism. It's fun to watch them destroy American manufacturing so they can keep Japanese and German corporate executives happy. OK, maybe not so fun." -By D-Day via Hullabaloo 
 Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - Race
-  Terrorism
- Politics
-  New
Jersey - New
York -  Michigan
- Pennsylvania
-  Calif
-  North
Carolina -  Maine
"Local Newspapers Cover Rising Number of Racist Anti-Obama Actions in Small Towns." ... "Away from the spotlight, many local newspapers around the country have covered recent incidents of racially-motivated reactions to last week’s [2008] election, from flags hung upside down to the dangling of nooses and cross-burnings. As we noted last week, a couple in northern New Jersey who had an [Democratic President-Elect Barack] Obama sign on their front lawn woke up to find the charred remains of a cross out there. Local residents today announced a "unity march" to protest the still-unsolved incident." ... "Now come these fresh reports." ... "The Associated Press revealed today, "Police on eastern Long Island [New York region] are investigating reports that more than a dozen cars were spray painted with racist graffiti, reportedly including a message targeting President-elect Barack Obama. The graffiti included racist slurs and sexually graphic references. At least one resident in the quiet Mastic [New York] neighborhood told Newsday her son's car was scribbled with a message threatening to kill Obama."" ... "Employees at Hampel's Key and Lockshop in Traverse City, Michigan, flew an American flag upside down last Wednesday protesting of the new president-elect, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported." ... "Also in Michigan, in Midland, a man dressed in full Ku Klux Klan regalia walked around toting a handgun and waving an American flag. Initially denying it, the man eventually admitted to police that the display was a reaction to the Obama victory." ... "In Pennsylvania, an interracial couple in Apolacon Township discovered the remains of a burned cross in their front yard." ... "Authorities in Temecula, Calif. [California], found spray-painted graffiti on a city sidewalk containing a swastika and anti-Obama slogan." ... "Today, the NAACP called on North Carolina State University to expel four students who spray painted racist messages about Obama." ... "Another post-election noose incident happened in Maine. “More than 75 people rallied Sunday against an incident last week in which black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island the day after Barack Obama won the presidential election,” according to the Bangor Daily News." -By Dexter Hill -EditorAndPublisher.com 
Racist
- Marketing
-  Fashion
- Politics
- Terrorism
- Crime
-  Illegal
- Immigration
- Economy
- Pennsylvania
-  Alabama
- Fla
"White supremacists target middle America." ... "The white-power movement is changing its marketing strategy to broaden its appeal." ... "The USA's largest neo-Nazi group is ditching its trademark brown Nazi uniform with swastika armband for a more muted look in black fatigues." ... "In Pennsylvania, the Keystone State Skinheads is changing its name to Keystone United to attract members." ... "Supremacist groups are on the rise as they market themselves to middle America, according to leaders of the groups and organizations that monitor them. They are fueled by the debate over illegal immigration and a struggling economy." ... ""Many white supremacist groups are going more mainstream," says Jack Levin, a Northeastern University criminologist who studies hate crime. "They are eliminating the sheets and armbands. … The groups realize if they want to be attractive to middle-class types, they need to look middle-class."" ... "The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] knows of about 24 domestic terrorist groups. Spokesman Richard Kolko would not say how many are white supremacists." ... "Jeff Schoep, head of the National Socialist Movement, says the government classifies his group as a domestic group of interest, not domestic terrorists. The FBI would not comment." ... "[Former Alabama Ku Klux Klan leader Don] Black's son, Derek, 19, was elected to the Palm Beach County, Fla. [Florida], Republican committee in August. Local Republican leaders are trying to unseat him after learning of his white supremacist ties." -By Marisol Bello -USATODAY 
 John
McCain -  Nathan
Sproul - Money
- Politics
- Investigation
- Law
- California
-  Nevada
-  Oregon
-  Minnesota
- Pennsylvania
-  West
Virginia -  Vermont
-  Massachusetts
- Michigan
-  Libraries
- 2004
Election - 2008
Election
"McCain Employing GOP [Republican] Operative Accused Of Voter Registration Fraud." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's campaign has directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states." ... "According to campaign finance records, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC [Republican National Committee] and the the California Republican Party, made a $175,000 payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of "registering voters." The managing partner of that firm is Nathan Sproul, a renowned GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for suppressing Democratic voter turnout, throwing away registration forms and even spearheading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots to hinder the Democratic ticket." ... "During the 2004 election, Sproul & Associates (the former name of Lincoln Strategy) was accused of attempting to destroy forms collected by Democratic voters in Nevada. That same year in Oregon, Sproul & Associates allegedly instructed canvassers to only accept Republican registration forms in addition to destroying those turned in by Democrats." ... "In Minnesota, meanwhile, Sproul's firm was accused of actually firing workers who brought back Democratic registration forms, while other canvassers were allegedly paid "$13 an hour, with the $3 bonus for every [Republican President] Bush, undecided or Ralph Nader voter registration." Similar problems related to Sproul & Associates popped up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia." ... "All of this was executed, it seems, through an elaborate web of deception. As Salon.com wrote back in 2004:" "Canvassers were told to act as if they were nonpartisan, to hide that they were working for the RNC, especially if approached by the media... In letters the firm sent to the libraries, Sproul misrepresented itself as America Votes -- a left-leaning national voter registration group not affiliated with Sproul -- but said that it was interested in registering "all those who wish to register to vote." Shortly after Sproul canvassers began working the libraries, though, patrons began complaining that the canvassers were being especially inquisitive about their political leanings, and some were pushing people to register as Republicans.""Sens. [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick Leahy and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy sent a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2004 asking that the Justice Department "launch an immediate investigation into the activities of Mr. Sproul and his firm." Three years later, members of Congress still weren't satisfied. Rep. [Michigan Democratic Representative John] Conyers complained in an Oct. 2007 letter that the Justice Department was not closely scrutinizing Sproul's efforts. "The alleged misconduct described by many witnesses," he wrote, "clearly suppress[es] votes and violate[s] the law."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com |
|
# Pennsylvania Weblog 
Pennsylvania Newspapers Pennsylvania News Sources NOT necessarily Recommended Ardmore, PA Beaver, PA Bloomsburg, PA Carlisle, PA Easton, PA Erie, PA Gettysburg, PA Hanover, PA Harrisburg, PA Hazleton, PA Indiana, PA Lancaster, PA Lebanon, PA Lehighton, PA McKeesport, PA Middletown, PA New Bloomfield, PA Norristown, PA Oil City, PA Oxford, PA Philadelphia, PA Pittsburgh, PA Pottstown, PA Pottsville, PA Primos, PA Scranton, PA Sharon, PA The News Sources above are NOT necessarily Recommended Pennsylvania Newspapers |
News Search <Pennsylvania> in: <Pennsylvania News> in: <Pennsylvania State News> in: <Pennsylvania State> in: <PA News> in: <Pennsylvanian News> in:
Stroudsburg, PA Sunbury, PA Towanda, PA Washington, PA Wayne, PA Waynesburg, PA West Chester, PA Wilkes-Barre, PA Wyalusing, PA York, PA Pennsylvania NOT necessarily Recommended |
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Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Terrorism
- 
History
- 
Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- 2008
Election
John
McCain - Barack
Obama - 
Sarah
Palin - Terrorism
- Language
- Pennsylvania
- Illinois
- Politics
- 2008
Election
US
- 
Iraq
- 
Military
- Money
- PA
Tom
Ridge - John
McCain - Money
- Politics
- 
Albania
- US
- Pennsylvania
- 2008
Election
Elizabeth
Edwards - 
Edwards
- 
Biden
- Barack
Obama - 
Media
- 
Television
- Corporations
- Sports
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Pennsylvania
- Freedom
- 
Health
- "Bowling
1, Health Care 0." ... "For the last month, news
media attention was focused on Pennsylvania and its [2008 Election] Democratic
primary. Given the gargantuan effort, what did we learn?" ... "Well, the
rancor of the campaign was covered. The amount of money spent was covered.
But in Pennsylvania, as in the rest of the country this political season,
the information about the candidates’ priorities, policies and principles
— information that voters will need to choose the next president — too
often did not make the cut. After having spent more than a year on the
campaign trail with my husband, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate] John Edwards, I’m not surprised." ... "Why? Here’s my guess:
The vigorous press that was deemed an essential part of democracy at our
country’s inception is now consigned to smaller venues, to the Internet
and, in the mainstream media, to occasional articles. I am not suggesting
that every journalist for a mainstream media outlet is neglecting his or
her duties to the public. And I know that serious newspapers and magazines
run analytical articles, and public television broadcasts longer, more
probing segments." ... "But I am saying that every analysis that is shortened,
every corner that is cut, moves us further away from the truth until what
is left is the Cliffs Notes of the news, or what I call strobe-light journalism,
in which the outlines are accurate enough but we cannot really see the
whole picture." ... "Did you, for example, ever know a single fact about
[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Joe Biden’s health care
plan? Anything at all? But let me guess, you know [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama’s bowling score. We are choosing a
president, the next leader of the free world. We are not buying soap, and
we are not choosing a court clerk with primarily administrative duties."
... "What’s more, the news media cut candidates like Joe Biden out of the
process even before they got started." ... "News is different from other
programming on television or other content in print. It is essential to
an informed electorate. And an informed electorate is essential to freedom
itself. But as long as corporations to which news gathering is not the
primary source of income or expertise get to decide what information about
the candidates “sells,” we are not functioning as well as we could if we
had the engaged, skeptical press we deserve." ... "If voters want a vibrant,
vigorous press, apparently we will have to demand it." (1, 2)
-By Elizabeth Edwards
-NYTimes
Barack
Obama - 
Hillary
Rodham Clinton - 
Karl
Rove - Terrorism
- Politics
- Osama
bin Laden
- Television
- Ad
- Money
- History
- Pennsylvania
- Illinois
- New
York - 
Iran
- 
Israel
- US
- Military
- 2008
Election - "The
Low Road to Victory." ... "The Pennsylvania campaign,
which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner,
more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean,
vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it." ... "Voters
are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it
does not work. It is past time for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate and New York] Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that
the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm
to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election." ... "If nothing
else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did
not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus
of the Democratic race. It is true that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs.
Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the
political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering
a good part of what was once a 20-point lead." ... "On the eve of this
crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to
wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from
Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor,
the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with
video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the
kitchen,” the narrator intoned." ... "If that was supposed to bolster Mrs.
Clinton’s argument that she is the better prepared to be president in a
dangerous world, she sent the opposite message on Tuesday morning by declaring
in an interview on ABC News that if Iran attacked Israel while she were
president: “We would be able to totally obliterate them.”"
-NYTimes
John
McCain - 
Ron
Paul - 
Mike
Huckabee - 2008
Election - Politics
- Pennsylvania
- "McCain
Loses 27% of Pennsylvania Vote." ... "Pennsylvania
had a Republican primary on Tuesday." ... "And more than 800,000 Pennsylvanians
took Republican ballots. That's only about a third as many as voted in
the Democratic primary, but its still a significant GOP [GOP=Grand Old
Party=Republican] turnout." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate John] McCain finished with an uninspiring 73 percent of the vote
Tuesday." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Ron] Paul
got 16 percent." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
Mike] Huckabee's non-candidacy took 11 percent." ... "When all the Republican
votes were counted, more than 200,000 ended up in the columns of what can
best be described as the Anybody-but-McCain candidates." -By
John Nichols -TheNation.com
Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - Politics
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- US
- Military
- Economy
- Global
- 
Planet
- "Obama
Draws Record Crowd in Philadelphia." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama drew
what may be his biggest crowd yet here [in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]
Friday. His campaign, quoting Frank Friel, director of security at the
Independence Visitor Center, pegged the number at 35,000." ... "And Mr.
Obama took the opportunity to declare his “independence” from the politics
of the past — and from “the say-anything, do-anything politics that’s all
about how to win and not about why we should.”" ... "Here are some excerpts
from his speech, as prepared for delivery:"
Barack
Obama - Hillary
Clinton - Media
- Politics
- Corporate
- Network
- 2008
Election - Pa
- "In
Pa. Debate, The Clear Loser Is ABC." ... "When [2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidates] Barack Obama met Hillary Clinton
for another televised Democratic candidates' debate last night, it was
more than a step forward in the 2008 presidential election. It was another
step downward for network news -- in particular ABC News, which hosted
the debate from Philadelphia [Pennsylvania] and whose usually dependable
anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable
performances." ... "For the first 52 minutes of the two-hour, commercial-crammed
show, Gibson and Stephanopoulos dwelled entirely on specious and gossipy
trivia that already has been hashed and rehashed, in the hope of getting
the candidates to claw at one another over disputes that are no longer
news. Some were barely news to begin with." ... "Obama was right on the
money when he complained about the campaign being bogged down in media-driven
inanities and obsessiveness over any misstatement a candidate might make
along the way, whether in a speech or while being eavesdropped upon by
the opposition. The tactic has been to "take one statement and beat it
to death," he said." ... "At the end, Gibson pompously thanked the candidates
-- or was he really patting himself on the back? -- for "what I think has
been a fascinating debate." He's entitled to his opinion, but the most
fascinating aspect was waiting to see how low he and Stephanopoulos would
go, and then being appalled at the answer." -By Tom
Shales -WashingtonPost
-
- Media
- Politics
- Corporate
- Network
- 2008
Election -
-
-
-
- Torture
- 
- Human
Rights - 
- Consumer
- 
- 
- Safety
- 
-
- 
- Death
Penalty - "Okay,
Now I'm Bitter." [Mary Mapes on what
DISNEY/ABC didn't cover in the 2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate debate in Pennsylvania with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama]
... "In Iraq, we've seen a rebound in suicide bombings and gotten the disquieting
information that Iraqi soldiers have been fleeing the battlefield in frightening
numbers." ... "Americans learned that detailed discussions of torture techniques
had been held in the [Republican President] White House -- our White House
-- and President Bush revealed that he knew this and approved." ... "[Home]
Foreclosure rates have spiked to frightening levels." ... "U.S. [United
States] shoppers were told that food prices in this country are rising
at a higher pace than at any time in the past 17 years." ... "The airline
industry floundered through dreadful days of groundings, amidst safety
concerns, economic ailments and passenger anger." ... "Oil prices are setting
new records almost every day and $4 a gallon gas is coming soon to a service
station near you." ... "The anguish over China's human rights record and
its handling of Tibet turned the Olympic torch relay into a cross between
Spain's Running of the Bulls and 3rd grade keep-away." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain, acting like a mean old
man trying to chase those pesky voters off his lawn, refused to endorse
a new GI bill that would help those currently serving our country get a
college education." ... "The Supreme Court issued a fractured opinion on
the death penalty that for the first time in years raises the real possibility
of a national debate on the value and morality of the ultimate punishment."
... "And we are in the middle of what is clearly the most important, most
consequential election of my lifetime -- and I'm no spring chicken." ...
"Instead, I sat in front of my TV open-mouthed, listening to a hodgepodge
of juvenile questions about flag jewelry, the possibility of a "dream"
ticket, elderly radicals, Charlie Gibson's personal tax concerns and ministers
who emote too much. What, no time for a question about Cindy McCain's purloined
pork chop recipe?" -By Mary Mapes
-HuffingtonPost.com
John
McCain - Corporate
- Politics
- Barack
Obama - Labor
- Justice
- Churches
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- 2008
Election - "It
Takes Real Chutzpah for a Guy Who Owns Eight Houses (McCain) to Call Barack
Obama an "Elitist"." ... "[2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate John] McCain doesn't lack "chutzpah." Yesterday
his campaign actually accused [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate]
Barack Obama of being an "elitist" for saying that it's not surprising
that people in small Midwestern towns are bitter after seeing their standard
of living systematically destroyed over the last three decades." ... "Damn
right they're bitter; they have good reasons to be. And most of those reasons
are the economic and trade policies that have - and continue to be - championed
by [Republicans] George Bush and John McCain." ... "The McCain campaign
is managed by a cadre of Washington-insider special interest lobbyists.
He and his current wife are estimated to be worth about $100 million. He
reportedly owns eight houses. His let-them-eat-cake economic policies are
based on George Bush's failed radical conservative "you're on your own
buddy" philosophy. One after another he supported trade agreements that
protect the rights of corporations, but ignore the rights of labor, and
have devastated one Pennsylvania community after another. He gets most
of his campaign cash from the wealthiest corporate interests around. And
he has the gall to call Barack Obama an "elitist"?" ... "This is the same
Barack Obama who spent years of his life organizing out-of-work steelworkers
on the south side of Chicago [Illinois] - people just like those who live
in Allentown [Pennsylvania] or Erie [Pennsylvania] or Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania]
or the Monongehela Valley in western Pennsylvania. He stood shoulder to
shoulder with them, sat at their kitchen tables, spent hours in their church
basements." ... "He didn't do those things as a famous candidate, but as
a community organizer being paid $8,000 a year by a coalition of churches.
You don't build a resume or a client list organizing unemployed steel workers.
You do it because you respect the people and you care about justice." ...
"In fact, the trademark of Barack Obama's campaign for president is the
honest, respectful way he talks to everyone -- and stands up for everyday
Americans." ... "If you want to talk about patronizing, or "elitism", you
need look no farther than the way [Republicans] Bush and McCain attempt
to use fear and division to divert the attention of middle class people
from the economic policies that pick their pockets, lower their wages,
destroy their unions, and outsource their jobs. And all the while they
use our money to bail out Wall Street, and give giant tax breaks to the
real "elitists" -- the economic elite." -By Robert
Creamer -HuffingtonPost.com
Hillary
Clinton - Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- Pennsylvania
- Federal
- 2008
Election - "Clinton
urges $4 billion to fight crime; focuses on cities."
... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
is expected to unveil a $4 billion anti-crime package Friday in which she
vows to reduce city murder rates by 50 percent within five years, put an
additional 100,000 cops on the streets and shrink prison populations."
... ""At its core, my agenda is about responsibility," Clinton will say
Friday, according to advance text of her remarks. "It's about the federal
government living up to its responsibility to help restore order in our
communities, pave the way for economic development and new jobs, and help
our families feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods."" ... "She maintains
that she could cut homicide rates in cities by increasing the number of
police on the street, reducing gang violence and by cracking down on illegal
gun trafficking." ... "To do so, Clinton says she will create what she
dubs COPS 2.0, a revamp of [Democratic] President Clinton's program that
added 100,000 police officers to the nation's law enforcement ranks." ...
"Clinton is expected to criticize [Republican President] Bush's handling
of crime in her Philadelphia [Pennsylvania] speech. Her advance text calls
it "a sad day in America when the president can find hundreds of billions
of dollars to police another country's civil war, but cut funding for police
officers right here at home."" -By William
Douglas -McClatchyDC.com
Noteworthy
- Media
- 
John
Yoo - 
Mike
Mukasey
- Torture
- Lawbreaking
- 
Surveillance
- Military
- 
Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Political
- Enforcement
- Barack
Obama - Pennsylvania
- US
- Iraq
- "The
U.S. establishment media in a nutshell." ... "In
the past two weeks, the following events transpired. A Department of Justice
memo, authored by John Yoo, was released which authorized torture and presidential
lawbreaking. It was revealed that the [Republican President Bush] Bush
administration declared the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights to be
inapplicable to "domestic military operations" within the U.S. [United
States] The U.S. Attorney General [Michael Mukasey] appears to have fabricated
a key event leading to the 9/11 attacks and made patently false statements
about surveillance laws and related lawsuits. Barack Obama went bowling
in Pennsylvania and had a low score." ... "Here are the number of times,
according to NEXIS, that various topics have been mentioned in the media
over the past thirty days:" ... ""Yoo and torture" - 102" ... ""Mukasey
and 9/11" -- 73" ... ""Yoo and Fourth Amendment" -- 16" ...
""Obama and bowling" -- 1,043" ... ""Obama and Wright" --
More than 3,000 (too many to be counted)" ... ""Obama and patriotism"
- 1,607" ... ""Clinton and Lewinsky" -- 1,079" ... "And as Eric
Boehlert documents,
even Iraq -- that little five-year U.S. occupation with no end in sight
-- has been virtually written out of the media narrative in favor of mindless,
stupid, vapid chatter of the type referenced above." ... "Think about it
this way: if you were a high government official and watched as -- all
in a couple of weeks time -- it is revealed, right out in the open, that
you suspended the Fourth Amendment, authorized torture, proclaimed yourself
empowered to break the law, and sent the nation's top law enforcement officer
to lie blatantly about how and why the 9/11 attacks happened so that you
could acquire still more unchecked spying power and get rid of lawsuits
that would expose what you did, and the political press in this country
basically ignored all of that and blathered on about Obama's bowling score
and how he eats chocolate, wouldn't you also conclude that you could do
anything you want, without limits, and know there will be no consequences?
What would be the incentive to stop doing all of that?" -By
Glenn
Greenwald -Salon
Alphonso
Jackson
- Criminal
- Federal
- Housing
- Construction
- Money
- Politics
- New
Orleans - Louisiana
- Hurricane
Katrina - Pennsylvania
- "HUD
Secretary Alphonso Jackson steps down: The [Republican
President] Bush appointee's decision comes amid an investigation for cronyism
in awarding federal housing contracts. His resignation takes effect April
18." ... "Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson resigned
today amid a criminal investigation into favoritism in awarding HUD [Housing
and Urban Development] contracts that critics said was blunting the agency's
effectiveness in dealing with the subprime mortgage mess." ... "The investigation
into Jackson began in 2006, after he publicly disclosed that he had revoked
a contract because the vendor told him he did not like President Bush.
Amid an inspector general inquiry, Jackson told investigators that he had
misspoken." ... "The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] is looking into
ties between Jackson and a friend who was paid $392,000 by HUD for work
as a construction manager in New Orleans [Louisiana] after Hurricane Katrina.
In addition, Jackson is also being sued for allegedly trying to punish
the Philadelphia [Pennsylvania] Housing Agency for nixing a deal with his
friend, music producer and developer Kenny Gamble." -By
Johanna Neuman -LAtimes
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Hillary
Clinton - Iraq
- US
- Military
- 
Arizona
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- New
York
- Housing
- Economy
- 2008
Election - "Obama
takes aim at McCain on Iraq." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat Barack Obama took aim on Monday
at potential White House opponent [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] John McCain on Iraq, saying the Republican senator could not
offer a clear definition of success in the conflict and could leave U.S.
[United States] combat troops there for decades." ... "Obama said the Arizona
senator shared a vision of Iraq with [Republican] President George W. Bush
and had not spelled out how the United States would be able to end its
military involvement there." ... ""The problem that we've had, both with
John McCain and George Bush, is there's no clear definition of success.
There never was. And that's why this has been such a profound strategic
error," Obama, an Illinois senator, told reporters while campaigning in
Pennsylvania." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary]
Clinton criticized McCain's recent speech on the economy for failing to
lay out a clear plan to end turmoil in U.S. housing markets." ... ""Senator
McCain recently gave a speech on the economy, and best I could determine
his plan was not to have a plan," Clinton, a New York senator, said during
an economic round-table in Harrisburg [Pennsylvania]." (1, 2,
3)
-By Caren Bohan with contributions by Ellen Wulfhorst,
Steve Holland, John Whitesides and Mohammad Zargham
-Reuters
Barack
Obama
- Hillary
Clinton
- John
McCain
- Financial
- History
- American
- Working
- 
Folks
- Homes
- Overseas
- Ariz
- Pennsylvania
- Ill
- 2008
Election - "Presidential
Candidates Address Economic Woes: [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidates and Senators] Sens. [Barack] Obama,
[Hillary] Clinton Blast [Republican President] Bush for Not Doing Enough
to Avert Economic Meltdown." ... "Both Democratic candidates veered off
their scheduled speeches Monday to address the jittery U.S. economy and
slammed [Republican] President Bush for not doing enough to stop the [home]
mortgage lending crisis from spilling over into the wider economy." ...
"Clinton's communications director contrasted her economic platform with
that of presumed Republican candidate [Arizona Republican Senator] Sen.
John McCain', R-Ariz [Republican-Arizona]." ... ""In the fall there will
be a major debate over what we do to get this economy back on track, and
John McCain is welcome to defend seven years of the Bush economic policies,
but we believe that we need to go in a different direction and will do
so," Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson said Monday, referring
to McCain's support of making Bush's tax cuts permanent." ... "Campaigning
in Pennsylvania Monday ahead of the April 22 primary, [Illinois Democratic
Senator] Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. [Democratic-Illinois], said that the
economy wasn't working for average Americans, even before the recent crisis
in the financial industry." ... ""Wages, incomes, they haven't gone up
over the last seven years. Corporate profits were great, Wall Street was
doing fine, but ordinary folks were struggling. And so if you're really
ready for change, we can't just tinker around the edges. We've got to bring
around a fundamental change to our economy," Obama said." ... ""We are
going to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas and
start giving tax breaks to companies that invest right here in Pennsylvania
and all across America. We're gonna roll back tax cuts to the wealthiest
Americans who don't need 'em, and we're [weren't] even asking for them,
and give those tax breaks to hardworking ordinary Americans who deserve
them right now," Obama said." (1,
2,
3)
-By Jennifer Parker with contributions by Kate Snow,
Peyton Craighill, Sunlen Miller, Eloise Harper, Bret Hovell and David Chalian
-ABCNEWS.com
Barack
Obama
- Religion
- 2008
Election - PA
- "Obama
addresses Pa.'s importance, pastor's remarks." ...
"Q [David Brown]: I don't know if you've seen it, but it's all over
the wire today (from an ABC News story), a statement that your pastor (the
Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South
Side) made in a sermon in 2003 that instead of singing "God Bless America,"
black people should sing a song essentially saying "God Damn America.""
... "A [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama]:
I haven't seen the line. This is a pastor who is on the brink of retirement
who in the past has made some controversial statements. I profoundly disagree
with some of these statements." ... "Q [David Brown]: What about
this particular statement?" ... "A [Obama]: Obviously, I disagree
with that. Here is what happens when you just cherry-pick statements from
a guy who had a 40-year career as a pastor. There are times when people
say things that are just wrong. But I think it's important to judge me
on what I've said in the past and what I believe." -By
David Brown -PittsburghLive.com
John
McCain
- Corporate
- Government
- Politician
- Arizona
- Pennsylvania
- 
Ohio
- Florida
- 
Miss
- 
Trent
Lott - 2008
Election - "Lobbyist
to run McCain's Hill effort." ... "Presumptive [2008
Election] Republican presidential candidate [and Arizona Senator] Sen.
John McCain has engaged a leading GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican]
lobbyist to coordinate his message and travel schedule with congressional
Republicans —the most concrete sign yet that the biggest battleground in
the 2008 presidential race may not be Pennsylvania or Ohio or Florida’s
I-4 corridor but rather the floor of the United States Senate." ... "John
Green, a founding partner of what is now Ogilvy Government Relations, will
soon take a leave of absence from that firm to work as a full-time liaison
between McCain’s presidential campaign and Republicans in the House and
the Senate, according to GOP aides on Capitol Hill and McCain surrogates
downtown. Green, a Mississippi native, has strong ties in the Senate after
his years of work for [Mississippi Republican Senator and] former Senate
Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss. [Republican-Mississippi]), a vocal
McCain supporter who left Congress late last year to set up his own lobbying
shop." ... "Green is part of a small cadre of lobbyists who have met regularly
to help build support for McCain on Capitol Hill. The group, which includes
fellow Ogilvy partner [lobbyist] Wayne Berman, has been helping the senator
secure congressional endorsements in recent weeks to ensure he solidifies
his status as the GOP front-runner." -By Martin Kady
II and Patrick O'Connor -Politico.com
John
McCain
- Corporate
- Politician
- Government
- Television
- Media
- 
Communications
- Law
- Pennsylvania
- Arizona
- Florida
- Jet
- 
Vicki
Iseman - History
- 2008
Election - "McCain
Disputed On 1999 Meeting: Broadcaster Recalls Urging
FCC [Federal Communications Commission] Contact." ... "Broadcaster Lowell
"Bud" Paxson yesterday contradicted statements from [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's presidential
campaign that the senator did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist before
sending two controversial letters to the Federal Communications Commission
on Paxson's behalf." ... "Paxson said he talked with McCain in his Washington
office several weeks before the Arizona Republican wrote the letters in
1999 to the FCC urging a rapid decision on Paxson's quest to acquire a
Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania] television station." ... "Paxson also recalled
that his lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, likely attended the meeting in McCain's
office and that Iseman helped arrange the meeting. "Was Vicki there? Probably,"
Paxson said in an interview with The Washington Post yesterday. "The woman
was a professional. She was good. She could get us meetings."" ... "The
recollection of the now-retired Paxson conflicted with the account provided
by the McCain campaign about the two letters at the center of a controversy
about the senator's ties to Iseman, a partner at the lobbying firm of Alcalde
& Fay." ... "The McCain campaign said Thursday that the senator had
not met with Paxson or Iseman on the matter. "No representative of Paxson
or Alcalde and Fay personally asked Senator McCain to send a letter to
the FCC regarding this proceeding," the campaign said in a statement."
... "But Paxson said yesterday, "I remember going there to meet with him."
He recalled that he told McCain: "You're head of the Commerce Committee.
The FCC is not doing its job. I would love for you to write a letter.""
... "The two letters he wrote to the FCC in 1999 while he was chairman
of the Senate Commerce Committee produced a rash of criticism and a written
rebuke from the then-FCC chairman, who called McCain's intervention "highly
unusual."" ... "On [1999 Novemeber] Nov. 17, McCain sent a letter to FCC
Chairman William E. Kennard saying, "I write today to express my concern
about the Commission's continuing failure to act" on the three-station
deal involving Paxson." ... "McCain had flown on Paxson's corporate jet
four times to appear at [2000 Election] campaign events and had received
$28,000 in campaign donations from Paxson and its law firm." ... "The second
letter came on Dec. 10, a day after the company's jet ferried McCain to
a Florida fundraiser aboard a yacht in West Palm Beach, Fla. [Florida.]
The fundraiser was arranged by Hector Alcalde of Alcalde & Fay and
was hosted by a cruise line that Alcalde had represented, Paxson said.
Paxson said he attended the fundraiser." (1, 2,3)
-By James V. Grimaldi and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum with
contributions by Alice Crites -WashingtonPost
John
McCain
- Corporate
- Politics
- Television
- Media
- Communications
- Jet
- Vicki
Iseman - Arizona
- Pennsylvania
- Florida
- 2008
Election - "A
Hole in McCain’s Defense? An apparent contradiction
in his response to lobbyist story." ... "A sworn deposition that [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John
McCain gave in a lawsuit more than five years ago appears to contradict
one part of a sweeping denial that his campaign issued this week to rebut
a New York Times story about his ties to a Washington lobbyist." ... "On
Wednesday night the Times published a story suggesting that McCain might
have done legislative favors for the clients of the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman,
who worked for the firm of Alcalde & Fay. One example it cited were
two letters McCain wrote in late 1999 demanding that the Federal Communications
Commission act on a long-stalled bid by one of Iseman's clients, Florida-based
Paxson Communications, to purchase a Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania] television
station." ... "Just hours after the Times's story was posted, the McCain
campaign issued a point-by-point response that depicted the letters as
routine correspondence handled by his staff—and insisted that McCain had
never even spoken with anybody from Paxson or Alcalde & Fay about the
matter. "No representative of Paxson or Alcalde & Fay personally asked
Senator McCain to send a letter to the FCC [Federal Communications Commission],"
the campaign said in a statement e-mailed to reporters." ... "But that
flat claim seems to be contradicted by an impeccable source: McCain himself.
"I was contacted by Mr. Paxson on this issue," McCain said in the Sept.
25, 2002, deposition obtained by NEWSWEEK. "He wanted their approval very
bad for purposes of his business. I believe that Mr. Paxson had a legitimate
complaint."" ... "While McCain said "I don't recall" if he ever directly
spoke to the firm's lobbyist about the issue [during the 2002 deposition]—an
apparent reference to Iseman, though she is not named—"I'm sure I spoke
to [Paxson]." McCain agreed that his letters on behalf of Paxson, a campaign
contributor, could "possibly be an appearance of corruption"—even though
McCain denied doing anything improper." ... "McCain's subsequent letters
to the FCC—coming around the same time that Paxson's firm was flying the
senator to campaign events aboard its corporate jet and contributing $20,000
to his campaign—first surfaced as an issue during his unsuccessful 2000
presidential bid. William Kennard, the FCC chair at the time, described
the sharply worded letters from McCain, then chairman of the Senate Commerce
Committee, as "highly unusual."" (1, 2)
-By Michael Isikoff -Newsweek
John
McCain
- Vicki
Iseman - Corporate
- Government
- Television
Stations - Media
- Communications
- Law
- Politics
- Jet
- Travel
- History
- Arizona
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- 2008
Election - "McCain:
Reports on lobbyist a "smear"." ... "The story alleges
that McCain wrote letters and pushed legislation involving television station
ownership that would have benefited [lobbyist Vicki] Iseman's clients."
... "In late 1999, [Arizona Republican Senator and 2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate John] McCain twice wrote letters to the Federal
Communications Commission on behalf of Florida-based Paxson Communications
- which had paid Iseman as its lobbyist - urging quick consideration of
a proposal to buy a television station license in Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania].
At the time, Paxson's chief executive, Lowell W. "Bud" Paxson, also was
a major contributor to McCain's 2000 presidential campaign." ... "McCain
did not urge the FCC commissioners to approve the proposal, but he asked
for speedy consideration of the deal, which was pending from two years
earlier. In an unusual response, then-FCC Chairman William Kennard complained
that McCain's request "comes at a sensitive time in the deliberative process"
and "could have procedural and substantive impacts on the commission's
deliberations and, thus, on the due process rights of the parties."" ...
"McCain wrote the letters after he received more than $20,000 in contributions
from Paxson executives and lobbyists. Paxson also lent McCain his company's
jet at least four times during 1999 for campaign travel." -By
Libby Quaid -APvia
-Star-Telegram.com
Hospital
Corporations - 
Pharmaceutical
- Corporations
- Federal
- Investigators
- New
Jersey - New
York
- Tennessee
- Ohio
- Louisiana
- Pennsylvania
- "Federal
investigators recoup $2.2B in healthcare-fraud prosecutions."
... "The largest recovery came from a settlement with Tenet Healthcare
Corp. [Corporation], one of the largest for-profit hospital chains in the
United States. In a well-publicized case, whistleblowers from inside the
company alerted federal authorities, which uncovered evidence that Tenet
was manipulating Medicare’s payment system to boost revenue and paid kickbacks
to physicians who sent their patients to Tenet facilities. To settle the
charges and avoid a court judgment on the accusations, Tenet agreed to
pay the government $900 million over the course of four years." ... "Other
hospital companies also coughed up millions to the federal government in
fraud and abuse cases in fiscal 2006, including St. Barnabas Health Care
System in New Jersey ($265 million), Beth Israel Medical Center in New
York ($73 million), the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority
in Tennessee ($37 million), University Hospitals Health System in Ohio
($13.8 million), Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Louisiana
($3.8 million) and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania
($2.9 million)." ... "The pharmaceutical company Serono paid $704 million
to settle charges that it illegally advised doctors to prescribe an AIDS
medicine called Serostim for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), paid kickbacks to cooperative physicians, and conspired with the
diagnostic device maker RJL Sciences to market a device not approved by
the FDA. RJL Sciences pleaded guilty to its role." ... "Schering-Plough,
another drug company, is on the hook for $435 million as a result of several
charges, including allegedly giving false information to the FDA, which
was investigating whether the company’s marketing practices violated the
law." -By Jeffrey Young
-TheHill.com
| HavenWorks.com/pennsylvania/#weblog |
AmericasLibrary.GOV - via America's Library GOV: A Spanish Expedition Established St. Augustine in Florida September 8, 1565
How did Pennsylvania get its name? Its founder, English reformer William Penn, born on October 14, 1644, in London, England, named it in honor of his father.
Persecuted in England for his Quaker faith, Penn came to America in 1682 and established Pennsylvania as a place where people could enjoy freedom of religion. The colony became a haven for minority religious sects from Germany, Holland, Scandinavia, and Great Britain. Penn obtained the land from King Charles II as payment for a debt owed to his deceased father.
Born the privileged son of a land-owning gentleman, young William Penn was greatly affected by the preaching of Quaker minister Thomas Loe. Expelled from Oxford University in England in 1662 for refusing to conform to the Anglican Church, Penn joined the Quakers. He was locked up in the Tower of London four times for stating his beliefs in public and in print. After his father died in 1670, Penn inherited the family estates and began to frequent the court of King Charles II, campaigning for religious freedom.
Seeing no prospects for religious tolerance or political reform in England, Penn looked to America, which he had visited briefly in 1677. In a 1682 document, Penn guaranteed absolute freedom of worship in Pennsylvania. Rich in fertile lands as well as religious freedom, the colony attracted settlers and grew rapidly.
Penn is also remembered for peaceful interaction with the Lenni Lenape Indians and his draft of the Plan of Union, a forerunner of the U.S. Constitution. Thanks to William Penn, Pennsylvania, which guaranteed religious freedom for its citizens, was established in the New World.
Google Search: "Milton Hershey School"
Google Search: pennsylvania weather
Jurist.law.Pitt.edu/world
Philadelphia Inquirer - Philly.com
Penn Library-Philadelphia Maps and Geographic Information - http://www.library.upenn.edu/census/philmaps.html
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