The Coptic Church Of Alexandria

The Church and Theology School in Alexandria was established by the Apostle Mark in 60AD. Most of the early converts were common Egyptians who spoke Coptic. Although Christians became the majority before the Arab invasion in 636, by the 12th century they were the minority. The concept of monasteries in Christianity was started by the Coptics in the deserts of Egypt. Currently, the Coptics are threatened by transitions in Egypt, let us pray for their safety.

photograph of St. Marks Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt.

reprinted from January 2011

A Legacy Of Capitualation

While Obama embodied everything that liberal America could want in a president, he capitulated us away on the world stage. His line in the sand in Syria was only one of many feats of weakness. Probably, his greatest victim was Israel, which saw him embolden Iran.

While I'm alienating my liberal friends, let me go further. His current decision to stop the Dakota pipeline is yet another plea for lasting popularity with his base. Understand, that the pipeline is not on the reservation. Understand, that while it is near the tip an area that juts out from the main part of the reservation, it is far away from that main area. Understand, that only the portion that goes under the river reservoir is incomplete, and it must go under it somewhere, to be completed. I understand that while the image of Indians, activists and veterans has created a noble notion, the stoppage impacts our energy and commerce. It is my hunch that if Hillary won the election, Obama may not have acted against the pipeline. I believe that he sees the issue as a final poke in the eye to those fascists who have conspired against his noble causes.

Showdown At City Council

Last night was quite a confrontation between the mayor and city council. Those looking for more details can find excellent reports by Emily Opilo of the Morning Call, and Bernie O'Hare at Ramblings.

Alan Jennings was the only person from the public who spoke on Pawlowski's behalf. He claimed that the budget cuts are being inflicted on Pawlowski as punishment for the criminal investigation, and because of those cuts employees are leaving, and morale is low. Of course, in truth, people are leaving and morale is low because six underlings have already pleaded guilty to criminal acts on Pawlowski's behalf, and others are not anxious to fall on the same sword.

Although council defunded the Managing Director position, Pawlowski has created three other positions in his executive suite since he first assumed office. Although council defunded the Community Development Director and Operations Manager, there still exists subordinate positions which operate the nuts and bolts of the city's operation.

Pawlowski read into the record a long filibuster about how the cuts would effect each department and it's activities. In Parks and Recreation, the department of which I'm most familiar, he cited the adverse effect it would have on the city pools and the WPA structures. His administration closed Fountain Park Pool years before any budget cuts. Cedar Beach Pool is now the subject of another investigation. Besides rebuilding the previously neglected wall in Lehigh Parkway which had collapsed, the city hasn't spend one dime on the WPA. They only repaired part of the wall because it was necessary to reopen the entrance road. Work done last summer on the Fountain Park WPA steps was paid for by the Trexler Trust, after a third party secured the grant.

When Pawlowski asked the city solicitor if council's actions last night were permissible under the charter, she declined to answer, claiming that she wasn't prepared for the question.* Pawlowski has threatened to go to court if council persisted with their budget plans, which they passed last night. However, it's unclear who would pay for that. Furthermore, I think that he might become preoccupied with his own probable court date.

*ADDENDUM: Last night I asked a council member about solicitor Susan Wild, who replied that she has provided them with excellent counsel.  My erroneous post yesterday implied otherwise.

A New Pawlowski Shenanigan

For years I have urged that Allentown City Council should use the budget and expense approvals as a negotiation tool, as done by councils most everywhere else. This council, and it's predecessors for the most part, refused, and became known as rubber stamps. That changed rather dramatically with Pawlowski's implication in wrong doing by the FBI investigation. For the current budget, council has become very proactive. They indicated last meeting that a solicitor of their own was overdue. I would hope that Council calls this bluff by Pawlowski and Wild, and passes the budget tomorrow night with council's own amendments. They should also seek an outside opinion on Wild's unique interpretation of the budget sequence.

ADDENDUM:  Two members of council have stated that they will indeed pass their amended version of the budget tomorrow evening.

UPDATE: Fellow local blogger Bernie O'Hare feels that Wild was serving council's interest by notifying them that the budget deadline was December 15th.  Pawlowski now claims that the cuts made to his first budget, legally justify a new budget by the administration,  and the review processes must start anew.  Susan Wild has not opined on Pawlowski's new assertion.  The notion of Susan Wild serving any master other than Pawlowski is news to both me and council.

UPDATE DECEMBER 8TH: Last night I asked a council member about solicitor Susan Wild,  who replied that she has provided them with excellent counsel.

Why Trump Won and Clinton Lost

Some Democrats are saying that Clinton lost the election by a total of 110,000 votes in three key swing states.  I don't know if that is indeed a fact,  because facts are hard to come by in the current news and media world.  Considering that one of those key states was Pennsylvania, and that Lehigh County is an important factor in the state,  the election process appears to have been fair.  A recount in Lehigh discovered only three absentee ballots which should have gone to Hillary.  A local Democratic activist, although physically present at the Lehigh County recount, continues to paste the election fraud posts on his facebook page.  Jill Stein dropped the recount in Pennsylvania because it was only proving the fairness of the election.  However, she and the Democrats are now filing  claims in federal court, to continue casting doubts on Trump's legitimacy as president.

Every possible accusation of racism and bigotry was used against Trump.  He is supposedly in league with anti-gays,  against women in multiple ways, anti-Semitic and anti everything else.  He didn't win because half the country dances in hate, he won because, as James Carville famously once said, it's the economy, stupid.

I heard a 10 year old girl call Trump a bad man the other day.  I don't find it positive that millions of children growing up with despondent Democratic parents would think that the next president of the United States is a bad man.  I don't find it constructive that their parents are allowing them to harbor such an opinion even before the inauguration.  The September issue of Time Magazine featured comedians and the extraordinary career that they were having with the soft orange target.  I suppose that they will continue mocking, but eventually their sponsors will realize that  they're alienating a significant portion of their market share.  CNN is now analyzing the election, to explain what happen.  Of course, self analysis would be more in order.

The bitterness of this election certainly eclipses anything in my memory.  Although, I didn't support Trump,  I now find this political acrimony more disturbing than anything any candidate said.  I must confess that when I discontinued anonymous comments my readership numbers suffered.  I have no doubt that I'm again losing readers, by criticizing their unwillingness to accept the results of our democracy.

Rumble In Our Democracy

I keep wanting to get back to local news, but the sore Democrats won't allow it.  They're still complaining about dog whistles and racism.  They're still calling Bannon a white supremacist.  So far, on their behalf, I've seen no real insight about their loss.  Newscasters on CNN speculate that Joe Biden might have beaten Trump.  Instead,  they should be examining how they lost any pretense of objectivity.  Torturing the Democrats even more, is the fact that they won the popular vote.    I see previously sensitive women, of Democratic persuasion, making catty comments about Kellyanne Conway's appearance.  I see lawyers complaining about the legality of the  electoral college.

A local dispenser of taxfunded grants is distressed because Trump used an Indiana state grant to help retain Carrier manufacturing jobs. He wants Obama to get credit for the 16 million jobs that a Washington Post headline said that he had created.  There's no details in the article, because if Obama had in fact created that many jobs,  Hillary would have won. Union members voted for Trump not because of racism, but because they know better than most, that making popcorn at the mall during Christmas season,  isn't manufacturing.  Although, I have often praised this local official on this blog for his accomplishments in Allentown, he requested that I refrain from commenting on his Facebook page. He hates Trump to his very core, and does not accept him as his president.  Another tax funded agency director praised his reply to me.  Never the less, I will continue complimenting his good work.  For me,  life goes on in Allentown, regardless of who is elected to the White House.

We see professors outlining courses on racism and electoral grief.  Others seek contributions for a recount in Florida, with only hours left allowing that recourse.  I have yet to read or hear a positive, forward thinking word from the Democrats.  As a certified bastard, I must once again confess my amusement.  My only concern is that my smirk might be taken as a smile.

Recounting America's Preference

Earlier in the week, I was critical of the Green Party and their recount effort.  I thought that they were compromising their principles, to possibly only benefit Clinton and the Democrats.  Indeed, the disheartened Democrats thought much more of Jill Stein after she filed for the recount.  The Clinton campaign is now openly recruiting people to help with the recount in Michigan and Wisconsin. The other day, after my post, I received a call from a local Green Party member. This woman was an avid supporter, who actually was with Stein several times during the campaign.  According to this source, the party itself did not support the recount, and it was more of a renegade action by the good doctor herself.  This was not my impression, or the premise of my previous post.  I also believe that it was not conveyed by the press, or is the perception by the general public.

As an advocate for independents and third parties, I find this revelation disappointing.  I knew that Gary Johnson was using the Libertarian Party as a vehicle for his campaign.  I assumed that Jill Stein was more married to her choice of parties.   However, I certainly understand the difficulty of running completely independently, with no party affiliation.

In photographs of the local Lehigh Valley recount, I recognized vocal Clinton supporters present.  The entire local recount only discovered a few absentee ballots which were not counted.   It in fact reaffirmed the integrity of the existing voting system.

Looking For A Cop In Allentown

If you were looking for a policeman Tuesday morning, you better have been on the second floor of Sacred Heart Hospital, because all the brass and most of the shift were there. It was another one of their Coffee with a Cop sessions.  Besides hospital personnel,  there were only a few community members present.  I confronted Chief Morris about what appeared to me to be a wasted use of manpower.   To his credit, Morris didn't take offense at my blunt assessment, and actually even explained the reasoning.  Police take many of the injured and distressed to that hospital, and this session allowed the hospital workers and police to meet personally, under much less stressful circumstances.

The next Cop and Coffee will take place at the Sunrise Diner on S. 4th Street.  Even I concur that spot will be a good location for community outreach.