The Jew Card

Yesterday, an esteemed fellow blogger suggested I was playing the Jew Card in regard to my post entitled Damn Jews, which dealt with the ship intervention. I know that the last thing Israel wanted was the operation to result in deaths, and world controversy. Books will be written about the incident, but this post concerns the Jew Card. To me, playing a card refers to bringing up a topic, as an excuse or distraction from the more relevant issue. There is no Jew Card, only one excuse after another for anti-semitic acts throughout history and geography. The current excuse is Israeli oppression. There was no Israel to explain why my paternal grandparents fled the pogroms of Russia in the 1890's. There was no Israeli occupation to explain why all my maternal relatives from Hungary died in the concentration camps in the 1940's. Yesterday, a former U.S. diplomat aboard one of the ships said that the Israeli's were armed to their teeth, even though they were carrying paint ball rifles. The Turks didn't riot in 2003 when the two main synagogues were bombed in Istanbul.

There was no world outrage when the Jewish Community Center was bombed in Buenos Aires. The internet is full of allegations that 9/11 was an Israeli plot. If the Jews have a card, it is called survival. My fellow blogger should drive by a synagogue on a Jewish holiday. He may wonder how the Jews feel needing a police officer outside, to be safe praying inside, even in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

ADDENDUM: THE DOUBLE STANDARD. THE WORLD WAS QUICK TO BLAME ISRAEL. A LOCAL ESTEEMED BLOGGER CALLED THE DEATHS MURDER, HE WENT ON TO SAY; The proof of Israel's guilt lies in its feeble attempts to control what messages are going out concerning this atrocity. NOW THAT TAPES HAVE SURFACED SHOWING THE "PEACE ACTIVISTS" PREPARING WEAPONS TO BEAT THE ISRAELI'S TO DEATH, AND HOPING TO PROVOKE A RESPONSE, AND EVEN THEIR OWN DEATH, SHOULD NOT THE CONDEMNERS CONCEDE THEIR ERROR?  IS POINTING OUT THAT DOUBLE STANDARD PLAYING THE JEW CARD?
DELETIONS: THIS BLOG IS THE "EARLY MORNING EDITION" OF THE LOCAL BLOGOSPHERE. I TEND TO POST VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING. THREE VIDEO'S WHICH HAVE APPEARED IN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS AS ADDENDUMS, HAVE BEEN DELETED TO RESTORE CONCISENESS TO THE ORIGINAL POSTS. IT IS MY INTENTION TO CONTINUE WITH TEMPORARY EARLY MORNING VIDEO'S AND LINKS WHICH ELABORATE ON THE POSTS.

Damn Jews

Just because you're running a naval blockade, and you beat them with metal bars, they're outnumbered 100 to one, they think they have the right to shoot to save their life, those damn Jews.

Flyers Nostalgia

World Hockey Keeping Pace With the Fastest Game

a link to the ultimate hockey site, enjoy

Two Ton Galento

In an era of tough men, Tony "Two Ton" Galento was a standout. Although he would never win a Mr. America contest, his left hook could knock down any man, including the legendary Joe Louis. Tony owned a bar in Orange, New Jersey, didn't train, drank beer and ate large meals before he fought. Between 1928 and 1944 he fought 110 times, knocking out 56 of his opponents.

He met the Baer brothers in back to back fights later in his career, losing both bouts, but not before knocking 6'7'' Buddy Baer down. The famous fight with Louis occurred at Yankee Stadium in June of 1939, after Galente beat Lou Nova. Tony was king of the world in the third round as Louis lay on the canvas, but he got up at the eight count, and knocked Galante out in the next round. Louis would later say that Tony Galante was one of the toughest men he ever fought.

The Latinization of Hamilton Street

Neither this blog or myself are known for political correctness, and this post will be blunt. Allentown has hired a Main Street Manager for Hamilton Street. She has two choices; either subsidize or Latinize the street. With enough subsidization, businesses will indulge temporarily in the free ride; However, I do not believe it is possible to achieve self sustaining gentrification on Hamilton Street. The urbanists must accept the fact that the valley is a suburban orientated community.

A Hispanic business district developed on 7th Street. The was a natural evolution over the last decade, resulting from the Puerto Rican population explosion, and cheap rents on Allentown's traditional secondary shopping venue. The Main Street manager, who was later hired for that street, Peter Lewnes, could not have created that success. Mr. Lewnes has done an outstanding job bringing order and finesse to what would otherwise be a chaotic venue, but he did not create the Hispanic merchant class. The success of 7th Street was governed by market forces; likewise, there are limits as to what can happen on Hamilton Street. Hopefully, the taxpayer funded grants will be spend more wisely on Hamilton Street than in the past.

The article in today's Morning Call does not state Ms. Suhr's specific objectives for Hamilton Street. It mentions that she has a background in Main Street Program promotion, but not commercial real estate recruitment. She does speaks Spanish and was a Democratic organizer.

Under Construction

A Failure Called Allentown

My last letter to the editor, (Morning Call) explained how Mayor Pawlowski's one hand didn't know what the other

hand was doing, thus the bunny hop for Allentown, instead of progress.
The letter, short to begin with, had several key sentences and its meaning deleted out, so now I blog. I don't know

what Pawlowski's strong suit is, but it's not business (or housing). In the early fall, in a blotched attempt at improving the street scene, the bus riders where relocated to the former Morning Call parking lot, now known as the Lanta Terminal. The consequence is a virtual empty Hamilton Street with merchants suffering revenue reductions up to 40%. While the city on one hand offers grants, other starting food businesses are submitted to a bureaucracy exceeding hospital operating room standards.
What's probably most pathetic, is someone can push a hot dog cart up to the side of the Lanta Terminal Fiasco, and do more business than either someone put through the city hall inspection wringer or those receiving taxpayer funded grants.

CLICK ON PHOTO'S TO READ SIGNS

reprinted from April 1, 2008, it was no joke then or now

Although I'm glad that City Council is beginning to question the distribution and value of grants in Allentown, this blog has been ringing that bell for years. Today's Morning Call Story.

Related Posts from this blog
Pawlowski's Magic Hat, May 11, 2008
Jerry and the Cookie Lady
Penny Wise, Grant Foolish
Reality In Short Supply
Tip for Snooks
for more posts on the failed grants of Allentown, use my search engine on upper right of page; there are over 40 posts on this subject