Anti-Gun Rally At Allentown Gay Bar

Last night I went to what I thought would be a vigil for the Orlando shooting victims at Candida's. It turned out to be a anti-gun rally, and political speech opportunity for the valley politicians. Perhaps none took more advantage of the event than Ed Pawlowski. He kept asking if the crowd was with him and when is enough, enough? He hasn't been cheered like that lately. He was also one of the most ill-informed about firearms, referring to the AR-15 as an automatic weapon. I could tell that he thinks that the gun functions like a machine gun. However, needless to say, he was speaking to the choir. While every speaker addressed gun control, not one called the shooting what it actually was, Islamic terror at a gay club. I believe that if the gay club door was locked, the terrorist would have gone somewhere else,  and killed non-gay people.

Now, I understand that homophobia is a very real thing. I also understand that there has been mass shootings, unrelated to Islamic terrorism.  I even believe that gun regulations should be tightened,  and that it would not be a slippery slope against the 2nd Amendment.  However, we jeopardize our security without acknowledging that Islamic terrorism was the main factor in this mass shooting.

Among those in attendance and speaking last evening were Ed Pawlowski, Peter Schweyer, Mike Schlossberg, Pat Brown and Charlie Dent.

Allentown Begging For Startup Failures

After announcing the loan contest last fall, Allentown is now begging for applicants for the Shark-Tank type business loan program. As you can tell from the sponsors, this is essentially geared for minority applicants, although such a thing would never be actually printed in our politically correct era. Ed Pawlowski titled his facebook post, City Seeks Retail Entrepreneurs. Real entrepreneurs don't have to be sought. The next step will be actively recruiting people to apply. No non-profit bureaucrat worth his salt would ever let a gift horse get away unused. In the molovinsky world, if someone doesn't have the volition to get funding on their own, who needs them. Imagine a contest where nobody comes forward even for free money. Rather than say, OK, no worthwhile applicants, you now try and create them. Mayor Ed calls this program a fanastic use of CDBG funds. Actually, it's a colossal waste of our federal taxdollars. Welcome to Allentown. Welcome to Pennsylvania's premiere poverty magnet. Welcome to the place where even a $Billion dollars of taxpayer money hasn't really kick-started the town.

Toast Your Worms In Harrisburg

Our elected officials in Harrisburg are patting themselves on the back because they passed some legislation making it easier to buy beer and wine in Pennsylvania. While buying beer in Pennsylvania has never been difficult, expanding the sale of wine to select licensed grocery stores is new. The switch is expected to yield about $150million yearly in taxes.

It was difficult seeing the state house midgets not pass a budget for 18 months. It is difficult seeing useless commissions cost taxpayers $millions of dollars, decade after decade, administration after administration. It is difficult seeing the degree of cronyism is a state which can only be called corrupt, anything less is mincing words. Where else than Pennsylvania can you have an Attorney General's sister suing the state for equal pay from her sister's office. How is that for nepotism gone wild?

Although,  the new liquor bill seems to be win/win for both the state and residents, in Pennsylvania, the devil is always in the details.

Molovinsky's Sacred Mission

I must confess that it can be a little fatiguing fighting the politically correct sacred cows in this community. Now, that the new towers are up on Hamilton Street, the sanctioned activists are speaking out against gentrification. Four years ago, when I was defending the former merchants,  I was called a naysayer, trying to impede Allentown moving forward.

As my rage against the hypocrisy continues, I take note of the political landscape. While I point out how the Wildlands Conservancy blocks the creeks in Allentown Parks with their riparian buffers, the Trexler Trust bestows large grants upon them. While the Conservancy degrades the original park designs paid for by Harry Trexler himself, they are funded by his very trust. I continue the battle against these absurdities for two reasons; I know that my complaints don't go unheard. They do result in small repairs to the traditional park system. Secondly, if I don't speak out, who will?

Although I'm Jewish,  I wore a cross for dramatic effect in this photo.

Wildlands Conservancy Thrill of Hypocrisy

Yesterday, was the last day of the Conservancy's Annual Lehigh River Sojourn. The event was well covered by The Morning Call, with both a reporter and photographer on board one of the rafts. The three day event started with a talk by Chris Kocher, President of the Wildlands. The group gets grants during the winter to demolish dams, and grants during the summer to conduct this educational sojourn on the Lehigh river. Last year, Wildlands spend over $250,000 in grant money on just a study, promoting the removal of Wehr's Dam. Their website stated that the Lehigh Sojourn would take place rain or shine, but doesn't explain why. What Chris Kocher and The Morning Call fail to reveal is that their raft adventure is scheduled to coincide with the water release from the Francis E. Walter Dam in White Haven. It is only because of this dam that the Lehigh has a steady flow of water, and that these hypocrites can get their whitewater thrill.

photo of Wildlands Conservancy hypocrites enjoying dam release by Harry Fisher of The Morning Call

reprinted from June 30, 2015

ADDENDUM: This past Sunday, June 5, 2016,  Chris Kocher had an editorial in The Morning Call praising the accomplishments of his organization.  Although he mentions their upcoming river trip this summer, he doesn't use the word dam.  Additionally, although he mentions stream miles open for fish passage,  he still doesn't use the word "dam."  He doesn't mention demolishing a 10 inch high WPA dam, and dumping the ruble around the beautiful stone bridge piers.  He doesn't mention contributing to the largest fish kill in Lehigh Valley history, by demolishing the Fish Hatchery Dam, which regulated the water flow into the fish ponds during storm flooding.  He doesn't mention spending  $259,000 on  a taxpayer funded engineering study, to greatly inflate the cost of repairing Wehr's Dam.  He doesn't mention reneging on his own pledge to back away from trying to demolish Wehr's Dam.   The Wildlands Conservancy remains a sacred cow, allowing people to feel politically correct about the environment,  even if the Conservancy tells a few fibs along the way to pay their own salary.

Allentown Business Journal

We learned last week that the NIZ board gave preliminary approval to J.B. Reilly's plan for Tower 6, his office condo at 6th and Walnut. How they can go through the charade of such procedures, and the Morning Call can report it as news, is beyond me. I don't suffer nonsense well. Also, in last weeks news we learned that J.B. purchased the Morning Call building. In that article, even the newspaper acknowledged the obvious, that he now essentially owns the NIZ district.

The Talen sale to a private energy firm headquartered in NYC could throw a wrench in Janidl's Waterfront project.  Although, he stated that they're not dependent upon one particular tenant,  we know from uptown in Reillyville, that tenants are not growing on trees.  If Allentown loses Talen at the end of the Plaza lease in 2018, it will indeed be a loss.   I for one, was sorry to see PPL spin off Talen in the first place, despite the fluctuations of that sector. Somehow, a PPL which no longer produces electricity,  seems far removed from the company that built that ionic tower in 1928.

Muhammad Ali and King Levinsky

In 1964, a young Cassius Clay trained in south Miami Beach for his first fight against Sonny Liston. At that time, this section of the city was home to mostly retired Jews on fixed income. The hotels, decades after their prime, became pension rooming houses. Decades later, these same buildings would be restored to their art deco splendor, creating today's South Beach. As Clay trained, a middle aged punch drunk necktie peddler told him, "After Liston punches your head, you'll be selling ties with me." The street peddler was a fixture in Miami Beach. He didn't ask, he told people they were going to buy a tie. The future champ probably didn't realize that the heckler was none other than King Levinsky, legend of the 1930's, and veteran of over 118 heavyweight fights. Levinsky was born Harris Krakow in Chicago, and worked at his parent's fish market on Maxwell Street, the Jewish section during the roaring twenties. Although he never got a title shot, and weighed only 185, he fought all the leading heavyweights of his time, including the 265lb. giant, Primo Carnera. Managed by his sister Lena, he was known never to turn down a fight, including those against Max Baer.
copy reprinted from Jan. 23, 2010
photo shows Levinsky with sister/manager Lena in 1932

retitled and reprinted in memory of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali