Allentown Shootings

Statistics that crime is down are meaningless.  We have never had this many shootings and stabbings.   The consequences of the center city demographic shifts  have come home to roost in Allentown.  The changes were fueled about ten years ago by several organizations who would pay the first month rent and security deposit for the unemployed by choice, who flocked here from New York and New Jersey for those incentives.  Some of the new residents were actually set up twice,  after they were evicted the first time.

In 2005, as an independent candidate for mayor, I spoke up and out about what the consequences of this change would be for Allentown.  We could now be living in the end times of a former livable city.

Perhaps, with the proper leadership,  we could begin to restore some balance between productive citizens and the predators.  At best, it will take a decade of hard decisions, unencumbered by political correctness.

Nat Hyman had a letter in the paper this weekend outlining his proposals to reduce crime, if he were elected mayor.  Let us hope that the residents of Allentown decide to fight back, and that he prevails in November.

Allentown's New Dog Park

I'm in at least one Allentown park every day. Recently, I visited a dog park in another community a couple of times.  I can tell you that Allentown has an existing dog community in most of its parks. Owners and their dogs visit each other every day in Lehigh Parkway, Cedar Park, Trexler Park and other spots in Allentown.

There would be nothing wrong with establishing a separate dog park near Dixon Street, if the existing parks were maintained, but that's not the case. Every existing park has issues of neglect and deferred maintenance.

We have a mayor desparate to cut another ribbon, hoping it will garner him a few more votes come November.  We have a park director who is apparently more interested in adding new bullet points to her resumé,  than preserving our iconic park system.

Despite the reservations expressed here, the new dog park is under construction. If you visit with your four legged friend,  remember that the double stairway at Lehigh Parkway is falling apart, along with most of the other park structures which once made our city famous.

picture postcard, circa 1950, of Allentown's iconic Lehigh Parkway,  with the WPA Double Stairway 

The Post Journalism Era

Let me start with a disclaimer, I did not watch the speech/rally.  I started to watch a youtube of it, but loss interest very quickly.  What I did notice was that every article about it was an editorial, not a report. It compared what he previously said about Charlottesville, with what he said in Phoenix.

Trump complains that the media unfairly inserts their attitude into the news about him,  and the media in turn applies more attitude when reporting on his complaint.  Where does one find news in this climate?  It now appears that the BBC is channeling CNN: Scratch one more source.

Don't confuse me with a Trump supporter, I'm a defender of our democracy.  You couldn't have paid me to attend that Phoenix event.  Every complaint about him has some truth,  but the media should attempt to separate their opinion from their reporting.  CNN spent Wednesday asking various public officials if Trump is fit to be president?  The Democrats need to mound no opposition strategy,  the media is doing it for them.

The Trump era news' treatment is now being taught in our colleges and universities as journalism.  Revisionism, instead of taking decades, now takes minutes.

An Atlantic City Memory

The picture above by the Associated Press appeared on Facebook yesterday, in regard to the death of Jerry Lewis, the famed comedian. If the picture doesn't look like funny Jerry, there's a reason.

When I was about eight years old, my cousin and I stayed with our aunt, who had rented a house for the summer at the shore. Walking on the boardwalk, my consin and I were delighted to see on the marquee that Jerry Lewis was entertaining on Steel Pier. We both ponied up our week's money and went in to see the funny man. A rather gaunt man came out onto the stage and sat at a piano. When he started singing Great Balls Of Fire, we were confused. When he started pounding the piano with his feet, and his hair started unraveling, we were shocked.

Apparently, the young person at the Associated Press also confused Jerry Lewis with Jerry Lee Lewis, whose picture appears above.

No Real Nazis In Charlottesville

My post on Trump and the Jews received numerous back channel complaints from my fellow tribe members.  How could I possibly defend Trump from not speaking out more forcibly against Nazis?

When children came dressed to your door as super heroes on Halloween, did you think that it was really Superman and Batman?  The real Nazis took our relatives away in the middle of the night and put them in concentration camps, before gassing them.  What you saw in Charlottesville was real anti-semitism,  but not real Nazis.  I understand the concept of being vigilant, but don't trivialize the Holocaust because of your hate against Trump.  American Nazi are not new.  They were already marching against the Jews in Skokie 39 years ago.

While I'm airing complaints against this blog,  here's a different one from a black reader about the Ambush At 9th & Chew  post.

  Gangsters?? who the hell you calling gangsters??? Did they kill that women like racists in Virginia???? Its funny how you hypocrites will praise white drug dealers, and save white addicts. smh....freedom of speech is for cowards too!!!The real gangsters are in the White House. Why don't you write for Breitbart Mr M. they would love you there.  

It wasn't the racists in Virginia in Halloween costumes who killed the woman, it was a lone nut from Ohio, who was probably a week away from killing someone back home.

I don't believe that those swastika armbands in Charlottesville are a threat against me, but I do speak out in person against anti-semitic statements said in my presence.  I don't believe that Confederate statues are a threat against blacks, but I would be concerned about kids formulating gangs at 9th and Chew.

Trump And The Jews

The Jewish reaction to Trump's statements about Charlottesville can be viewed within the larger political arena;  The overwhelming majority of Jews are Democrats, and voted for Hillary Clinton.  They join those who haven't gotten over the election last November, and bash Trump as the numerous opportunities arise.  That said, people marching with torches shouting Jews Will Not Replace Us leaves quite a jarring impression.

As a political conservative of the Jewish faith, I have no delusions about anti-semitism. I think that it is everywhere, just under the surface. I think that many non-Jews share the misconception that there is some secretive Jewish network,  helping Jews succeed at the expense of everyone else.  If such a network exists,  they must have misplaced my address.  These misconceptions have existed for almost two thousand years,  and I choose not to blame Trump for them.

Trump's presidency has been a series of poorly worded sound bites.  His background in commercial real estate development didn't require political correctness.  He was suggesting that everybody who was protesting against removing a statue of Robert E. Lee wasn't evil,  and that not everyone favoring its removal was pure in their intent.  He was not defending Neo-Nazis, or their  hatred of Jews and blacks. In our current era nothing elicits more reaction than an accusation of racism.  Even Mitt Romney joined the drum-beaters this weekend.  I didn't realize that he was interested in 2020.

 Most of those criticizing Trump for not providing moral clarity last week would not be satisfied regardless of what he had said, or didn't say.

O'Connell's Back Door

Allentown City Council will hire an attorney and attempt to have Pawlowski removed as mayor.  What this effort indicates to me, this late in the game,  is that Ray O'Connell shares the belief that election night will go to Pawlowski.  Considering that most pundits feel that O'Connell's entrance into the race as a write-in is a boost to Pawlowski's chances,  I might question O'Connell's write in effort.

The City Charter,  short of conviction, leaves the mayor in office.  The best way to get him out is at the polls.  The best chance of an opponent winning is a two-way race.  O'Connell could withdraw his write-in campaign, and support Hyman.

The above two paragraphs are my gut reaction as a local political analyst to the city council vote to hire an attorney.  That said,  as a former third person myself on the ballot, and as an admirer of Ray O'Connell,  best wishes in his pursuit.