Happy Birthday, America!

As is the case with most holidays, the true meaning of the Fourth of July has been lost behind our commercialized culture. To many, Independence Day is about fireworks, pool parties, and backyard barbecues. However it is much, much more than that. On this day more than 200 years ago, the 2nd Continental Congress adopted the text authored by Thomas Jefferson that would later become known as the Declaration of Independence and authorized its printing for the colonists. With a few strokes of the pen, our Founding Fathers announced to the English Crown and to the rest of the world that America was free from the tyranny of a foreign monarchy.

We do not only celebrate the act of adopting the Declaration, we also celebrate the courage that it took to get there. Our Founding Fathers met sporadically for over a year debating whether to plead with King George to make a deal or declare outright independence. It was not easy. Many in the Congress remained loyal to the crown. In addition, British colonial governors had issued edicts banning assemblies and declaring participants in such as traitors to the crown, which was punishable by death. It took statesmen like John Adams to motivate the delegation to cast off King George’s shackles even if it had the potential to cost them their heads.

Those 56 brave signatories in the Class of 1776 announced in one voice to the entire world that the most powerful empire in the world no longer had dominion over them. They laid the foundation for an entire nation built on the concept of individual freedom and republicanism. Their courage and foresight gave rise to not only a free country, but one that would eventually become a “shining city on a hill”, the model of freedom and democracy for all nations, and the most powerful force in the history of the world.

Today is NOT just a day off from work and prime time to cook out. Today is our Independence Day. Take the time to reflect on just how much pain and sacrifice it took to get here . . . . then light your sparklers.

Schuylkill Democrats Shuffling the Deck Chairs to Prep for 09′

With many eyes focused on the fast approaching presidential election in the fall, the Schuylkill County democratic Party has decided to get a head start on preparations for 2009. The Clarke Report learned earlier this week that a key figure in county politics is in the process of stepping down in order to give his chosen successor an incumbency edge leading into next year’s elections. Sources tell me that Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reilly is expected to step down from his post within the coming months to be replaced by City Councilman Jim Muldowney.

This decision has to enrage Michael Halcovage, the uber-popular Pottsville City Councilman and attorney, who looked to be a shoe-in for the democratic nod in an open primary. However, now that Reilly and the Pottsville dems have decided on the infallible writ of succession, Halcovage must decide whether to buck his own party leadership by contesting the nomination or slink into the background behind Muldowney and wait for his coronation in a few years.

Of course, if Mike really wants to be mayor now and believes he would be a superior choice to Muldowney, he could always pull a PJ Symons by turning his back on a lifetime of ideals and values to opportunistically switch parties in the lead-up to the election . . . . .

Supreme Court Declares 2nd Amendment an Individual Right

Gun owners earned a monumental victory today, as the US Supreme Court finally declared that the right to keep and bear arms is vested in the individual for self-defense purposes. In a 5-4 ruling along ideological lines, Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Alito and Chief Justice Roberts, ruled that the Washington DC law banning the possession and use of handguns in the home and mandating that rifles and shotguns be unloaded and disassembled while stored in the home was unconstitutional.

The penultimate debate of whether the 2nd Amendment only applied to those in an organized militia or whether all Americans enjoyed it is at a conclusive end. In a riveting 64-page opinion, Justice Scalia analyzed the linguistic meanings of the amendment and the historical context in which it was originally written, debated, passed, and applied prior to the 20th century. Coincidentally, Pennsylvanians can take pride in knowing that the PA Constitution and other PA laws played a pivotal role in this decision as Scalia used our own Bill of Rights as one of the foundations of his analysis.

So, what affect does this have on you?

For starters, you can now be secure in the belief that the government is not permitted to ever completely ban the possession or use of all firearms. Liberals will never be allowed to fully clean out your gun cabinet.

Second, the government can not ever tell you that you must keep your guns locked up, disassembled, or have a trigger lock on it in your own home.

Third, unless you are a felon or are mentally ill, the government MUST register your firearm and issue you a license to possess it.

Now, this decision does have a few exceptions. The government may still prohibit the carry of firearms in sensitive places such as schools or government buildings. They may also still regulate the conditions and qualifications of the sale of guns.

Although, one particular area has been left up in the air for future litigation: the possession and use of dangerous and unusual weapons. Scalia did say that the government maintains an important interest in telling its citizens that it may not have unusual weapons like grenade launchers and Gatling guns, but he outlined a canned argument advocating for the allowance of M-16’s and other “assault weapons”. Undoubtedly, this will be one of the key issues in future litigation.

So, rejoice America! You are vested with an individual right to own a gun. The good guys have won for a change. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Thomas Snubbed by City Committee

The golden boy of the state GOP has some issues with his cohorts in Pottsville. Scott Thomas might be carrying the entire state party on his back with all the great publicity as of late, but that doesn’t seem to impress those on the Pottsville City Republican Committee as they refused to invite the newly elected state committeeman to last week’s city convention. Thomas, the youngest person to ever be elected as an officer to the state GOP, was the highest vote getter in the April primary vanquishing such party mainstays as George Moyer, Mary Beth Dougherty, and Boots Hetherington. Yet, he was a noticeably absent from the annual city gathering where members select their leadership and set their agenda for the November general election.

The move doesn’t surprise The Clarke Report at all. Even though the county party has made some strides with embracing newcomers to the political process and those with opposing viewpoints, the city committee seems like it is not yet ready to come along. As was reported here, Thomas ruffled the feathers of city committee stalwart Howie Merrick at the county convention two weeks ago, as they were involved in an animated verbal joust following the floor debate over the endorsement process. At one point Merrick physically threatened Thomas, which led myself and Tom Yarnell to leave the conference room to ensure that everything was alright.

Ultimately, Yarnell took Merrick’s side while I monitored the situation from across the room (I wanted to make sure that the much smaller Thomas didn’t get thumped by a grown-ass man). It seems this skirmish carried over into Merrick and Yarnell’s decision to blackball Thomas from the city convention. Despite all the work that Thomas has done for that committee and GOP candidates for city office, it seems that the slightest of ego bruising results in getting the cold shoulder from establishment types.

Personally, I find Merrick and Yarnell’s “lesson” to the young Thomas to be both petty and stupid. Thomas is quickly becoming the face of Pottsville politics. Young and old alike respect him. They support him at the polls and will follow his lead as we move forward. For a city party that can’t seem to get ANYONE elected, you’d think they’d jump on his coattails and see where he can take them. Instead, they choose to alienate the best thing they have going for them. But hey, that’s the Pottsville GOP for ya . . . . always cutting off their nose just to spite their face.

Will Seip ever say “No” to Fast Eddie?

No.

Such a simple word. Its usually one of the first five words that babies utter to their parents. It exists in every known language spoken on this planet. We use it everyday in all sorts of contexts. Do you want fries with that? No. Would you like to participate in this special e-mail offer? No. Would you like to go out on a date? No.

Yet, Rep. Tim Seip (D-125) can’t seem to muster the cajoles to say the word to Gov. Ed Rendell when it comes to his rampant tax and spend policies. Seip votes with the Governor 94% of the time. When Fast Eddie wants to spend $28.3 billion in next year’s budget, Seip says “yes, sir”. When Gov. Spendell says that he wants to create an unnecessary government health insurance boondoggle to garner favor with the democratic nominee for President, Seip says ”Sure Boss, whatever you say”. In fact, Seip’s rubber stamping of Rendell’s horrifyingly short-sighted fiscal policies earned him the title of one of the worst lawmakers in Pennsylvania, according to DemocracyRisingPA.

Now, as Rendell circles the Commonwealth playing on our heartstrings in the wake of the devastating floods in Iowa by advocating for a new “Flood Tax”, which would raise our home insurance premiums to finance the state’s flood control projects, we wait patiently for a Schuylkill County representative to say, “enough already, Ed. The taxpayers’ pockets are empty”. Sadly, with Seip, we might be waiting a while . . . . possibly until hell freezes over.

Hypocrisy doesn’t seem to faze Seip. He has two sides to his mouth and he enjoys using both of them. On one hand, he says he wants to lower costs for homeowners by eliminating school property taxes. Meanwhile, he supports raising those same homeowners’ electric and phone bills with Rendell’s “public benefit” charges. On one hand, Seip says he wants to ease Skook’s pain at the pump. Meanwhile, he refuses to support a holiday from the $.32/gallon Rendell Gas Tax, during the summer driving season. Will he do the same here?

Seip was patting himself on the back for passing his ‘flood damage reduction” bill last week, which is supposed to keep the costs down for those unfortunate souls ravaged by flooding. Will he now support raising taxes on those same cash strapped people, like his constituents in Haven, who are rebuilding or remodeling homes damaged by last summer’s flood waters?

Will he actually have the courage to stand up to Rendell and utter that oh so simple word in his ear and avoid voting the way he has done during 94% of his time in the General Assembly? My prediction: No.

 

 

Berwick Police Officer Falsifies Records in DUI/Child Endangerment Case

The Clarke Report recently uncovered another example of police corruption in our area, this time in nearby Columbia County. On May 23rd, Berwick Police were called to the home of Kimberly Klinger based on allegations that her ex-husband Allan Vandermark was driving under the influence of alcohol with his three young children in the vehicle. Ms. Klinger was informed about Mr. Vandermark’s alleged status by one of her sons that had phoned her to ask if he could return home instead of accompanying his father on a trip to Orangeville. She immediately called the police to have Mr. Vandermark apprehended.

When Officer Troy Manival arrived on the scene, Mr. Vandermark was reportedly parked in the middle of the road, the engine was still running, he remained behind the wheel, and one of his sons was seated in the front passenger’s side of the vehicle. According to eyewitnesses, Mr. Vandemark was asked to get out of the vehicle, at which time he fell over. Officer Manival was not even able to conduct a field sobriety test. As a result, Mr. Vandermark was taken to Berwick Hospital via police cruiser and administered a blood alcohol test. He was then driven home by police.

Today, The Clarke Report was informed that Mr. Vandermark’s blood alcohol level (BAC) was .296, more than three times the legal limit in Pennsylvania. Accordingly, he was charged with DUI and is set to be arraigned in front of District Justice Richard Cashman in two weeks.

Here is where it gets dicey. According to Section 4304 of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, a parent or guardian endangers the welfare of children when he/she knowingly endangers the welfare of the child by violating a duty of care, protection, or support. You’d think that driving your three children while under those conditions would warrant AT LEAST one child endangerment charge, especially since one of the kids was still in the vehicle when police arrived. Yet, he was not charged.

Ms. Klinger spoke with Berwick Chief Of Police Frank Brennan today over the telephone. When she inquired as to why Mr. Vandermark had not been charged with child endangerment, he stated that according to the report filed by Office Manival, there were not any passengers present in the vehicle. As was stated above, this is a blatant lie.

It is clear that Officer Manival falsified his police report, but the reasons why are unclear. What is clear is that he broke the law. At worst, Officer Manival committed perjury if Berwick Police Department mandates an affirmation of truth on their forms. At best, he committed unsworn falsification to authorities. No matter which is the most appropriate offense for Columbia County District Attorney Gary Norton to charge, it is undeniable that this officer should be required to hand in his badge and gun.

As I personally discovered during my ordeal with the Tamaqua Police Dept., police are given wide discretion to charge as they see fit. However, when an officer crosses the line from utilizing his discretion to lying in a report, in my mind he has now become a dirty cop and is unfit to serve in the capacity of trusted public servant. I believe that Officer Manival has crossed that line.

Hopefully, DA Norton will step in to conduct a fair investigation and charge both Manival and Vandermark appropriately. At the time of this article, though, Norton has yet to respond to numerous telephone messages left by Ms. Klinger over the past few weeks. I sincerely hope that Berwick’s mayor and borough council take little time in discharging their duty and ensuring a speedy resolution to this ugly matter.

Hornberger Finally Embraced By Establishment

The man whose political plight spurred the reform movement within the Schuylkill County Republican Party seems like he is FINALLY being treated with the respect and esteem due a public servant and candidate of his caliber. After nearly two years of jousting with establishment Republicans angry about his 2006 upset of Bob Allen and 2008 thrashing of party endorsee Jamie McGovern, some in the establishment have let down their guard and decided to embrace the candidate who offers them the best opportunity to take back control of the PA House: Gary Hornberger.

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to talk briefly with Hornberger. To my surprise, when I asked him whether GOP leadership were “coming around” to his candidacy, he said, ”Well, there are a few who are still hesitant to back me fully. However, most leaders, especially Dave Argall, have been very supportive and proactive in campaigning for me.” Hornberger added, “Dave has been great. He has lent me advice and resources that I otherwise wouldn’t have access to. I feel very fortunate.”

During the convention, each candidate for public office was afforded the opportunity to address the County Committee. When it was Argall’s turn, he briefly thanked his supporters for supporting him throughout his primary fight with John Schickram and ensured the Committee that he was ready for democrat Bill Mackey’s rerun campaign. But then, he quickly changed topics to Hornberger stating, “Electing Gary Hornberger should be this party’s top priority in the fall.” He added, “Without the 125th, it will be impossible for Republicans to reclaim control of the House. Gary can win this election, but he needs the party’s full support to do it.”

State Sen. Jim Rhoades (R-29) echoed Argall’s sentiments. “We (Senate Republicans) beat back a lot of spending and pork this year, including the Governor of Philadelphia and Mayor of Pennsylvania’s bloated budget,” he said. “It would be nice, though, to get a little bit of help on the House side and they can’t do that without Gary Hornberger beating Tim Seip in November. So, let’s support this guy and get our people out for him.”

I applaud Argall and Rhoades for breaking ranks with many in the establishment to support Hornberger. He has been one of this county’s finest public servants and will make an exceptional state representative. No matter what your feelings were about his challenge to Allen two years, the past is past and you need to get over it. Hornberger is the key to a Republican majority in Harrisburg and might just be the key to Argall’s ascension to the Speakership. It is high time that the ENTIRE party get behind Hornberger, because he is going to need each and every Republican vote in his district to beat a now embedded incumbent in Tim Seip. Hopefully, Argall and Rhoades’ public support will be the first step.

GOP Convention: Part II

Despite the drama surrounding the endorsement and proxy debates, the Schuylkill County Republican Convention held at the Shoeneman Complex in Pottsville on Saturday did yield some results that provided me with some optimism as the GOP moves forward. To begin, for the first time in years, new blood was voluntarily infused into Republican leadership with the election of Adam Pankake to the post of Assistant Chairman.

Pankake was unanimously elected as one of four Assistant Chairmen to Bob Ames by the County Committee. A relative newcomer to county politics, Pankake has been active in the west end of Pottsville working polls, hanging signs, and canvassing neighborhoods for local candidates. Most recently, he and State Committeeman Scott Thomas, have spearheaded the county-wide voter registration movement, concentrating on educating voting age high schoolers about how to register and linking the media pages of Republican grassroots organizations and local GOP candidates to one central web page (which is still under construction).

Frankly, I think that Pankake is a breath of fresh air. In his address to the committee, he stated that the party needed to focus on recruiting youth both as loyal voters and as active members of the committee in order to keep the GOP vibrant and alive. “75% of the students I talked to in the schools are already registered Republican, mostly due to their parents affiliation,” he said. “We need to ensure that as they graduate from high school and go off to college or into the workforce, they stay with us. That is where the future lies.”

He is totally spot on in his analysis. With a few exceptions (Thomas, Pankake, myself, Joe Sterns, Michele Rudloff, and an unidentified women who sat in front of me), the average age of those in attendance was probably in the low 50’s. If the Republican party is going to remain a force in this county for years to come, we need to get an ever disenchanted youthto become involved in the process. The Young Republicans are making headway in this area, but the County Committee must also throw in their resources to do the same. Democrats have the market cornered on political re-education camps, also known as college. So, we must get to them BEFORE the sandal wearing, hippie professors warp their minds with the writings of Noam Chomsky and the “heroic” efforts of Che Gueverra and Hugo Chavez. This means being proactive by getting into high school classrooms, holding fun-filled, easily accessible events, and utilizing the electronic media for social networking. I am confident that Pankake is the right person for this job and applaud those in the leadership that advanced his nomination.

Also, three proposed changes to the county by-laws were approved by the full committee. Now, they aren’t as fundamentally important to the long term health of the party as the tabled measures I mentioned in my prior post, but they are steps in the right direction to bring more willing participants into the fold of the party structure.

First, the County Committee voted to reconfigure the position of District Leader. Schuylkill Republicans are represented by hundreds of duly committeemen, one for each municipal precinct, on the County Committee. Within each legislative district (123rd, 124th, and 125th respectively), three District Leaders were tasked with easing the leaderships burden of collecting information from and disseminating information to all of the committeemen within their respective district. Each leader held a seat on the Executive Committee. Unfortunately, the command and control of these District Leaders were not existent. Many positions were vacant. In those districts that they were filled, they were ineffective because a lot of times all three leaders hailed from the same geographical area.

Picture this: you have 70 or so committeemen in the 125th district, stretching from Schuylkill Haven through Pottsvilleout to Tower City. Before Saturday, it was possible that the three leaders tasked with wrangling all these committeemen all resided in the west end of Pottsville. Not very effective, right? Well, the County Committee thought so. Thus, on the recommendation of the By Laws Committee, they changed the current structure to something more workable. Here is how it works now:

The county is now parceled into 10 geographical zones. Each geographical zone consists of approximately the same amount of precinct populations. Each zone now has one District Leader. All still have seats on the Executive Committee and their jobs are made all that much easier. Now the only issue is appointing the right people to occupy these posts.

Second, the By Laws Committee recommended forming a Local Government Council. This body would consist of elected GOP officials like township supervisors, borough council members, mayors, and school board members, who do not have seats reserved on the Executive Committee (only those with seats in Congress, the PA General Assembly, and county row offices have reserved seats on the EC). The council would meet twice a year and provide input and act as liaisons to the County Committee.

I think this council has a great opportunity to bring municipal issues like water/sewage proposals, dilapidated infrastructure, and rising local taxes, to the forefront of the County Committees attention. Too many times the party gets bogged down on county, state, and national issues, that we forget that ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL, meaning that we could make greater headway as a party if we concentrated on some municipal issues that directly affect the constituency that we are trying to woo.

Finally, the By Laws Committee recommended granting the Chairman flexibility in scheduling the biannual convention. Before Saturday, it was mandated that to be held on a particular day in June. By my count on Saturday, there were 47 people in attendance. Less than 40 were committeemen. There are currently over 100 elected County Committee members and 135 Executive Committee members (some people sit on both). It is unforgivableto have that poor a turnout. June is a notoriously bad month of political events. Graduations, family reunions, the start of the golf season, and vacations, all contribute to people not being available to sit in a room for three hours to discuss politics. Now that Ames has the leeway, he can reschedule the convention for a date wherein more individuals could attend without missing an important personal obligation. Again, this goes back to making the party more inclusive and person friendly. Good move.

 

 

 

Fireworks at Skook GOP Convention

County political conventions are notorious for being very bland spectator events. However, for the Schuylkill County Republican Party, the committee convention held on Saturday at the Shoeneman Complex in Pottsville was anything but. Billed as a turning point in the direction of the local party, the biannual event ended up being long on drama as two competing wings of the party clashed over proposed by laws changes for much of the late morning, but ultimately came up short in producing actual progress as the most significant of proposals were tabled for a later date. I asked the party establishment to “don’t go breaking my heart” in the lead up to this event. They obliged, instead choosing to leave me waiting at the window for the car to pull into the driveway all night long like a teenage girl who gets stood up on prom night.

The most contentious and exciting portion of the convention came when the By Laws Committee presented their recommended changes to the full committee. Forced to examine the way in which the party structure works by various critics in the media (like myself) and malcontent voters at the polls, the committee was asked to consider six modifications to the committee by laws. Three of these issues were specifically important to me personally as I have been advocating for them since my first letter to the editor of the Pottsville Republican and Herald appeared in November of last year.

County GOP Convention Kicks Off Saturday

The Schuylkill County Republican Party will kick off its general election effort Saturday morning, when elected committee members and officers meet at the Shoneman Complex in Pottsville for the biannual county convention. For weeks, leaders of the establishment and reform wings of the party have been in discussions to unify the party under one banner. This convention will be the forum where we all see if those talks actually bore some fruit.

Since starting this blog, I broke the code of silence over the existence of the War Board, openly opposed incumbent office holders, sparred with establishment loyalists, and railed against the elected party leadership. My goal was to shed light on what I considered an overly secretive and exclusionary party structure in the hopes of affecting change. Along the way, I made many political enemies, but I also gained a great many new friends. Some of my new friends were predictable ideological allies like the Sterns’ and Josh Meade. However, others like Jason Ghergel, Michele Rudloff, Dave Lafko, Scott Thomas, and Faye Rudloff, actually took me by surprise.

A few weeks ago on this site, I said that it was time for those on both sides of the aisle to extend an olive branch to one another and move forward as one cohesive unit. To my surprise, it actually happened.