For My Gun, Against The NRA

As a gun owner I'm an unequivocal supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Although that is a right which I defend, as an engaged citizen I appreciate living in a society of laws. There are rights and laws and we can all live within them. I do not blindly consider every regulation as a curtailment of my rights, or as a slippery slope which will erode them. I can exercise my rights in a responsible manner, without purposefully provoking those who feel differently about this issue.

Each November the NRA sends it's members a card telling them whom they should vote for in their district, to protect their 2nd Amendment rights. Although their member magazine often features hunting rifles, the organization must think of their members as sheep. As Americans we should guard our right to own firearms,  but never tolerate being told how to vote.

The Last Jews Of Egypt

There are only a few dozen Jews still living in Egypt, all in either Cairo or Alexandria. The number of remaining synagogues outnumbers the remainder of Jews. Many of these synagogues are magnificent structures, and to the credit of the Egyptian government, they are protected and some are being restored. Prior to 1948, well over 80,000 Jews lived in the two cities. The current Ben Ezra in Cairo dates from 1892. The site, once a Coptic Church, became a synagogue in 882.. Tradition marks this as the spot where the prophet Jeremiah gathered the Jews in the 6th century after Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the Jerusalem temple. The adjacent spring is supposed to mark the place where the pharaohs daughter found Moses in the reeds, and where Mary drew water to wash Jesus. It was here that the famous Philosopher Maimonides studied. Last century a collection of ancient manuscripts was discovered in the compound.

reprinted from June 2013

Village Of The Jews, Yemen

The world talks about Palestinian refugees, but knows or cares very little about the 800,000 Jews expelled from the Arab world after Israel's rebirth in 1948. Jews lived all over the middle east since biblical times. One of the largest Jewish populations was in Iraq, left over from the Babylonian Exile in 587 BC. Every Arab country, without exception, had Jews. The other larger Jewish communities were in Egypt and Morocco. A sizable community still lives in Iran. A few Jews still even live in Yemen.

 As the Christmas Holiday approaches, molovinsky on allentown will open it's archive on The Holy Land posts.

Armstrong's Allentown School Tax Warning

As there are no media reports of last night’s Allentown School District’s board meeting so perhaps you will allow me to provide the public a few details. First off Robert Smith was re-elected to serve as board president. The vote was unanimous. Dr. Ellen Bishop will replace Debra Lamb as vice president. Charlie Thiel was also nominated for the position. There was a lot of general business to do with policy, facilities, and education, but the major news to come from the meeting was the presentation of next year’s preliminary budget. In what is now an annual ordeal the board and administration tried to digest another ten million dollar deficit gap between projected revenues and expenses. This after four years of tax increases, a twenty percent staff reduction, and general and effective belt tightening. Unfortunately the costs that we can’t control, benefits (which included retirement contributions, and health care) and expenses related to charter schools continue to escalate at an unprecedented rate. These costs are projected to continue rising for at least the next several years then plateau at that elevated rate far past our lifetimes. Harrisburg created this mess, both parties share the blame, and only they can solve the problem that is destroying Allentown’s public schools. So far they have not cared enough to act.               Scott Armstrong

Scott, thank you for the report and your service as a school board member. As for the mess in Harrisburg, as an independent candidate in the recent election, I note that not one Republican or Democrat, including yourself, publicly endorsed me for State Representative. I mention this because many members of both parties privately acknowledged that I would have better served the district than their candidate. Pension reform failed to pass despite a Republican Governor and both chambers of the State House. The real mess is partisan politics.

The Politics Of Allentown

Last night Jeff Glazier made history by being appointed twice to City Council. In recent years as many people have been appointed as elected. However, the big news comes from molovinsky on allentown's Harrisburg bureau. Our correspondent has been told that although Tom Wolf sends his warmest regards to Pawlowski, he thinks that Ed can best serve Pennsylvania by staying in Allentown. Although politics in Allentown has lacked any excitement in the last decade, the next Democratic mayoral primary will be a cage fight.

Wehr's Dam Swan Song

When the elderly man stood up last night, it was apparent that arthritis was winning it's long time battle. As Leroy Schmidt walked forward to once again address the South Whitehall Commissioners, he apologized for his slowness. Schmidt has stood outside for five months, in all kinds of weather, to collect over 6,000 signatures to save his beloved Wehr's Dam. He explained to the Commissioners that it was becoming too cold for him to remain outside by the dam, and then in a gesture that would melt most hearts, he sang a song that he composed about how much he loves Wehr's Dam. Although the Commissioners curtly thanked him, it was not their type of presentation. They refuse to make any decision on the dam until KCI Consultants, hired by the Wildlands Conservancy, makes a professionally produced power point presentation next year. The Wildlands hired KCI to help them demolish Wehr's Dam. Although Leroy Schmidt is fighting for the history and beauty of South Whitehall, his simple song may have fallen on deaf ears.