The Pennsylvania Progressive

Red-Facedbook Backs Down

An embarrassed Facebook has backed down from using a feature which automatically tracked and reported member's online behavior and purchases.  Facebook was posting information about members without their permission and authorization for everyone in their networks to see.  I'm sure not everything you purchase online is something you'd like publicized on your Facebook page now, is it?

Imagine a closeted lawmaker getting exposed for buying a gay porn video or a married person buying an expensive gift for their lover?  That could all require some painful explaining when it showed up on your Facebook page.

After getting a huge amount of grief for violating their customer's privacy Facebook has seen the light and is modifying this feature so members must opt into it.  Christmas shopping season, especially, began playing havoc with gift purchases for many folks.  The Post writes about a man who bought a ring for his wife for the holidy then saw her read about it on his Facebook page.  Good thing for him it was for her.

I have a Facebook page where this blog is syndicated.  You can find it here.

State Not Cooperating With Mental Health Gun List

The FBI has more than doubled the number of people with mental health problems who have been added to their gun ban list.  The list, banning people from buying guns who have serious mental problems, has increased since the Virginia Tech shooting spree last spring.  Pennsylvania is not cooperating however and providing information even though some of our own were victims.

Gun dealers are required to check these lists before completing sales.  Not all do.

Harrisburg News

The State Senate approved the open records bill yesterday 48-1.  Vince Fumo was the only Senator willing to oppose the measure because it exempts the legislature.  When Fumo becomes the conscience of Harrisburg what does that say about the rest?

The State Senate GOP caucus has announced it will no longer use tax payer money for polling.  This follows the exposure of this misuse of funds by House Republicans and Democrats last week.  The big problem here isn't so much the constant stream of scandals arising from the misuse of the legislative slush funds but the fact they continue to exist.  Until we eliminate this pile of unauditable cash we don't know what it's being used for or where it's going.  For all we'll know they'll continue using it for these purposes.  Do you take all the legislators at their word?

UPMC Bills $135 For Flu Shot

Here's one more example of how our health care system is irretrievably broken.  The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center billed a woman's insurance company $135 for a $22 flu shot.  She was told her insurance would cover the cost after being turned down trying to pay for it herself.  Her carrier was then billed the ridiculous amount before negotiating it down to $65.  Then they refused to pay for the shot altogether.

Paterno's Salary Disclosed

Joe Paterno's salary as Penn State football coach was released today following the loss of a court case challenging its secrecy.  We now know why PSU fought so hard to keep this information secret:  JoePa earns a pitifully small salary for what he does.  Last year Paterno made $490,638 and this year will go over $500,000.

For head football coaches of his tenure, reputation, success and integrity this is a paltry sum.  I'm actually embarrassed by the amount.  Do you mean that after fifty some years of dedication to Penn State, that incredible string of non losing seasons, all the victories, all the glory, all the young men he molded, all he has done for the University he hasn't even made over half a mill yet?  This is a disgrace.  Look at what other top coaches earn and we aren't even in the ballpark (sorry for the bad pun).

Legal Update

I had a meeting with my lawyer last evening (which is why I missed the debate) to discuss my impending lawsuit against the Democratic Party.  I chose to support a candidate in a contested Democratic primary in opposition to the man, Traitor Tom Caltagirone, who still runs our County Committee.  He is now trying to expel me for that action even though we do not endorse in contested primaries.  Regardless of that he has no right to attempt to suppress my free speech rights as a citizen, a Committee person or as a blogger to express my support for his opponent in a Party primary.

As an elected Committee man for my township I was elected by my fellow Democrats to represent them on our Berks County Democratic Committee.  As such my obligation is to them, not the Party or the candidates, to do what is best for them and all Democrats.  If our Committee refuses to follow its by laws, something we are legally required to do, and I point this out, they cannot take illegal actions against me for so doing.

Their third course of action against me is a claim that I'm using a name for my local blog which infringes on their name.  They forgot they chose not to buy these names I own and allowed them to remain available in the public domain.  They also neglected to allow for the fact my local blog has a clearly defined disclaimer on its masthead.

As such I am suing my County Committee for suspending me as a duly elected Committee person and infringing upon my right to free speech.  I will also sue them for refusing to follow our by laws, an illegal act.  Our by laws do not allow our Chair, Tom Herman, to engage in any of the actions he has taken against me.  Because he is citing expert legal advice provided to him by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party they will also be a defendant.

I have been asking for help with my legal expenses through the tip jars on my blogs.  I thank everyone who has contributed and I have opened a separate bank account for these funds.  So far about $250 has been donated.  Thanks to all.  More will be needed thought o insure that all Democrats are free to support whomever they want in a primary election.  The Democratic Party cannot order you to support one candidate over another or take action to prevent you from expressing that support.

Essentially the Party is telling me I cannot criticize any Democrat without facing such extralegal actions against me.  This would have a chilling effect on all bloggers and is something we cannot allow to proceed.  I am faced with a decision:  what is more important, being a blogger or being a Committee person.  I am choosing to be a blogger.  It's an easy choice.  This is what I do and the Party has no right to demand I not do it in any way I please.

Therefore I am not challenging the actions being taken against me.  Allow them to do what they please.  It is already taking its toll because now I am a much more independent blogger than before.  Instead of passing over news derogatory toward Democrats I am embracing those stories and writing about them.  If I'm researching wrongdoing Party lines will have no effect on my reporting.  Do not expect to get favorable coverage simply on the basis of your Party affiliation any longer.  I alone will decide who I will support and cover on my blogs.

These are the unintended consequences of the Berks County and Pennsylvania Democratic Party's actions.  I am proceeding with litigation against them to ensure that legal precedent is established protecting other citizens, bloggers and Committee people from future such harassment.  I ask for you help.  The tip jars here and at Berks Democrats are connected with PayPal.  If you are uncomfortable dealing with PayPal you can email me for my home address.  Links for both are at the top of the sidebars.

Henry Hyde Dies

Henry Hyde, a former Congressman from Ohio, died early this morning.  He was one of the House prosecutors who tried Bill Clinton for having a consensual adult relationship with Monica Lewinsky.  Ironically Hyde had a child out of wedlock with a woman to whom he wasn't married, while he was married to another woman.  This never deterred him from condemning Clinton's blow job however.  Such is the depth of Republican hypocrisy and, to me, Henry Hyde personified it.

He also was involved in the $125 billion taxpayer savings and loan bailout when a bank he helped run saddled all of us with a $68 million bill.  He was also a fervent opponent of a woman's right to choose her own reproductive options.  He preferred that women have to resort to back alley butchers rather than have safe and legal abortions.  He also did everything he could to make those procedures happen more often by supporting life after birth.  The old saying that Republicans are only pro life from the moment of conception to the moment of birth was personified in Henry Hyde.

He won't be missed.

Romney Refuses to Oppose Torture

Mitt Romney last evening refused to answer a question by stating that waterboarding is torture.  He basically took the Mukasey plea, refusing to answer a direct question about whether he, as president, would allow America to engage in such torture.

This answer says much about Mitt Romney and his qualifications to be president.  Essentially all the Republican candidates are endorsing the BushCo platform, from Iraq, to torture, to presidential power, to forming a government which is nothing more than the agent of corporate America, to a whole host of all the wrongs that have put America on the wrong track.  None of them is willing to abandon George W. Bush's policies.  Electing any of them means four more years of the same failures.

Romney's refusal to answer this question on waterboarding is indicative.  We all know this technique is torture.  There is no debate on what constitutes torture, degrading, inhumane, and improper treatment of prisoners.  We don't want our fellow citizens and service members subjected to the same conditions and, as such, we should abhor and object to it being done to others in our name.  Mitt Romney refused to do that last night.

He's no different from the scoundrels already in power.

GOP Debate

I missed another presidential debate last night because I had a meeting (more on that later).  The Republican candidates faced a series of video questions posed by YouTube participants.  Interestingly these always seem to be much better queries than those posed by the "media professionals."  CNN posted an online survey yesterday asking who asks better debate questions the media or the public.  When I voted the answers were 88% the people to only 12% for the media.

Shouldn't results like that be a wake up call?  When 88% of CNN.com readers say the average person asks better questions than Wolf Blitzer isn't it time to revamp these "debates?"  CNN also apologized this morning for one of the questions posed to the candidates.  A retired general asked the Republican candidates why they thought American military personnel weren't professional enough to be able to serve openly with gays and lesbians. 

What a great question, especially coming from someone with 43 years of service serving his country while in the closet.  Of course it turns out that Gen. Keith Kerr has also lent his name to the Clinton campaign so, as such, CNN apologized for including his question.   I was offended by CNN's apology.  The man clearly stated he wasn't a plant but even if he was, isn't that what debates are supposed to be?

Once upon a time debates were actually discussions about the issues among the candidates.  They weren't these staged entertainment events so out of focus a network feels it has to apologize for airing a question.

Open Records Bill Up For Vote

The state senate votes today on a new open records law.  Pennsylvania has one of the weakest laws in the country in terms of access to public records.  Local governments routinely deny access to documents citizens have a right to see and inspect and the penalties are so weak they do this with impunity.  It isn't only local governments however.  The House Democratic caucus at first denied access to the political polling done with your money.

In Pennsylvania all records are presumed to be private unless the law specifically says they are public.  This is anti-democratic because it secretes too much important information behind closed doors.  Secrecy always leads to corruption, mismanagement, and waste.

The bill introduced by Dominic Pileggi reverses the presumption.  It says all state records are presumed to be public unless the legislature has specified the remain private:

"There are still 28 categories of information that wouldn't be released, such as information on homeland security, national defense, computer hardware or software, a person's Social Security number and medical information, a company's trade secrets, autopsy reports, criminal investigative information and others."

There are legitimate reasons for these records to remain private.  Everything else should be in the public domain.  That includes the state legislature, which is exempt under this bill, a major failure of the legislation.  After all the abuses we've witnessed the past two and a half years the legislature's records should be the first ones to be made public.  Gov. Rendell should veto any bill which isn't complete.  The only way the house and senate will comply will be if he forces them.