A Congressional Test

Trump just came off a big weekend with the Venezuela snatching of Maduro. MAGA and the Republican hierarchy are basking in a perceived accomplishment. While momentous for the American oil industry, time will weight the real results for everyone else, including the Venezuelans.

Meanwhile, last week Trump had vetoed a Colorado clean water bill for political reasons. Trump claimed people are leaving Colorado anyway, because one politician is bad and another is scum. Only in Trump's mind is that relevant to a veto. The bill had passed both houses of Congress unanimously.

When the Venezuelan chest beating subsides, and the slur against congressional leaks is considered along with the Colorado veto, we'll see what Congress is made of. If there was ever a veto which demanded an override, it is the Colorado Clean Water Act. With Republican incumbents facing the midterms, and the veto so egregious, I think that the Republicans will have to finally assert themselves.

Colorado National Monument Park

Trading Bananas For Oil

A century ago we managed Central and South America for bananas and rubber. Trump has now decided that he and the oil industry can have Venezuela. For months we heard pretenses about drugs, but at Saturday's press conference Trump wasn't hiding his cards, we're there for the oil.

When Trump and Hegseth bragged on about the military operation, you might have thought that they had extracted Putin from the Kremlin. Caracas isn't Moscow or Peking, but China has invested in Venezuelan oil production, over a $billion. While Hegseth and Rubio fell over each other praising their boss, they would be better serving their country gauging world reaction, which doesn't share their pride.

We also heard that Congress couldn't be trusted to be in the loop, they leak too much. If congress has been passive about Trump's unilateral decisions, now is the time to speak out. Perhaps Fetterman is correct wearing sweatshirts, at least you can't call him an empty suit.

In 1912 we were satisfied with bananas

An Identity Crisis In 2026

Yesterday, I claimed that I was going to become more fashionable, but little did I know that I was only a few hours away from an identity crisis. 

Long time readers of this blog have been recently accusing me of TDS. Seems like my questioning of Trump, and especially his cabinet picks, didn't resonate well with them. I always labeled myself as an independent, so this new criticism of me was almost complimentary. In addition to the blog, I'm also an administrator of a Facebook group. A member there accused me of pushing my rightwing politics when I posted a link to the Amanda Seyfried post. He said my explanation that she was an Allentonian was a BS excuse, and he left the group. So by noon, I was a liberal here, and a Trumper there...But, it got more confusing. I commented on a national site, and a reader stated that I was a Democratic Socialist, using a fake Russian sounding name for emphasis. Who am I?

Meanwhile, back here in the blogosphere, I was again changing the name of my other blog back to its original title. I'm always annoyed by the verification process all the offices use now. I get an email that I have a message from LVHN. I go to their site, and I have to get another email with a verification number to read the message. The message is wishing me a calm year...We'll see.

A Progressive Fashion

New York new Mayor Mamdani is taking the oath of office in an abandoned Manhattan subway station. New Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel is taking his at a public housing development. 

My New Year's resolution is to be more fashionable. For progressives like Mamdani and Siegel, there's always a new cause. This year it is affordable housing. I remember before I first started blogging, some Allentown non-profit did a building on 10th Street. Until they were done, it cost about $500k a unit, and that was thirty years ago! I was thinking at the time that for the same cost, they could have bought all those people a condo in a resort. Reilly's new affordable apartments construction at the old Morning Call site is framed out of wood, why not use cardboard?

Anywho, I will be more fashionable for 2026. New clothing and a new hair style is on the way. If you see an old man who looks like me, he just got my old clothing.

An Allentown Star's Controversy

There is probably nobody reading this who knows less about Amanda Seyfried and Charlie Kirk than me. I never saw a Amanda Seyfried movie, and I never heard a Charlie Kirk podcast. I actually never even heard of Kirk prior to his murder. 

I did however know that Seyfried grew up in Allentown, and attended William Allen High School. Although she has made it clear that she abhors anybody being the victim of violence, she has pushed back for not apologizing about saying that Kirk made hateful statements.

Kirk has been lionized by both Trump and Vance. Jimmie Kimmel was suspended from his show for not showing due reverence to the shooting. Likewise, Trump has been criticized for his reaction to the Reiner deaths. This post isn't to keep score regarding sensitivity, or lack thereof. Suffice to say that it is something which is hard to have too much of.

Amanda Seyfried at Allentown Farmers Market

Democratic Dustup In Allentown

There is a commotion in the Allentown Democratic Party over the  candidate for the special election to replace resigning Josh Siegel. Siegel is moving on to be Lehigh County Executive, having handily defeated Roger MacLean.

The above referenced commotion is that the selection process being utilized supposedly favors Julian Guridy. For the next regular election of District 22, Guridy will face Ce-Ce Gerlach in the primary.

While several other candidates, activist Lewis Shupe among them, wished to be considered for the special election appointment, there is an  irony not being discussed elsewhere. This old blogger remembers why the 22nd District was created in the first place...it was to represent the growing Hispanic Community. The first victor was the very un-Histpanic Pete Schweyer. After another redistricting, very un-Hispanic Josh Siegel won the spot.

It is assumed that the Republicans will be a no show for the special election (and the regular to follow), and that the appointee will have a heads up for the next regular primary in May.

shown above is Ce-Ce Gerlach welcoming a Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Club member to a street fair she organized in 2013.