AIDS Free Pittsburgh - World AIDS Day 2016

Today is World AIDS Day. For information in Pittsburgh, please watch the video below (definitely worth seeing Alaska Thunderfuck followed immediately by County Exec Rich Fitzgerald) and go to AIDS Free Pittsburgh.

 

The Braintrust Needs To Learn To Read Better (Or Maybe Fitzgerald's Office Needs To Edit Better)

Take a look at what The Trib's braintrust posted this morning:

Lance: To Rich Fitzgerald. The Allegheny County chief executive appears to think that Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Islamics don't believe in God. That's the take-away from his opposition to a County Council proposal, defeated Tuesday, to post “In God We Trust” in the council's meeting room. Mr. Fitzgerald said that would send a message to non-Christians that they're not welcome. He didn't have many takers among that cohort.

I'll stipulate that the memo could have been a little cleaner grammatically.  For example, take a look at this passage:

One of the area in which we could do better is our diversity. It’s the reason that organizations like Vibrant Pittsburgh were created, the reason that Allegheny County become a “Welcoming County,” and the reason that we continue to participate in efforts and initiatives that express that we are a friendly community that welcomes everyone.

While it's a halfway decent use of anaphora in that second sentence, (notice the repeated use of the phrase "...the reason that..." to structure), the rest of the passage has a few minor errors.  For example, the first sentence probably should have read "One of the areas..." rather than "One of the area..." as the "One of..." directly asserts multiple areas of which "diversity" is one.  Interestingly, had the memo writer simply omitted "of the", the sentence would have worked very nicely indeed:

One area in which we could do better is our diversity.

See?  My guess is that in the memo writer's haste this error was made.

And then in the second phrase of the second sentence, the memo writer probably should have gone with the present perfect ("the reason that Allegheny County has become...") or maybe the simple past tense ("the reason that Allegheny County became...") rather than what's there ("the reason that Allegheny County become...").

Now, while I have the greatest respect for this essay by Stephen Fry and I admit that it's quite possible that I am committing the very pedantic snobbery he detests.  However, I'll rest my case on what Fry frizzles here:

No, the claim to be defending language for the sake of clarity almost never, ever holds water. Nor does the idea that following grammatical rules in language demonstrates clarity of thought and intelligence of mind. Having said this, I admit that if you want to communicate well for the sake of passing an exam or job interview, then it is obvious that wildly original and excessively heterodox language could land you in the soup. [Emphasis added.]

And then:

You can wear what you like linguistically or sartorially when you’re at home or with friends, but most people accept the need to smarten up under some circumstances – it’s only considerate. But that is an issue of fitness, of suitability, it has nothing to do with correctness. There no right language or wrong language any more than are right or wrong clothes. Context, convention and circumstance are all. [Emphasis added.]

So why is this important?  Because of some less than clear writing in this sentence:

Support and passage of 8376-14 tells our residents and visitors that if they are Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Athiest, Muslim, Islamic or any other non-theistic group, they are not welcomed here.

The braintrust gets to absurdly assert teh goofie: that County Executive Rich Fitzgerald doesn't think that "Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Islamics" believe in God.  The problem here is the word "other."  Does it mean that Jews, Hindus and so on are among "non-theistic" groups?  Or does it mean that they are separate from them?  Interestingly, had the memo writer ordered the list differently, the sentence would have worked very nicely, indeed:

Support and passage of 8376-14 tells our residents and visitors that if they are Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Islamic, Atheist or any other non-theistic group, they are not welcomed here.

See? By grouping it that way, it's clear who makes up the non-theistic groups are and who doesn't.

Context, convention and circumstance are all.

A little editing by the County Executive's office would have left the Trib braintrust little grammatical room to snark.

Special note to County Executive Rich Fitzgerald: It's spelled atheist and not athiest.

An "In God We Trust" Update

Remember this from a scant 24 hours ago?

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is, presumably, not a fan of the legislation.  In the P-G, it says that he:

...would exercise his veto power if County Council passed legislation to post the motto “In God We Trust” in the courthouse, Mr. Fitzgerald told council members Monday.

 There's something in the P-G I hadn't seen elsewhere (not to say it wasn't reported elsewhere, only that I hadn't seen it):

Councilwoman Sue Means, a Bethel Park Republican, has driven the push for the national motto to be displayed in the Gold Room of the courthouse, where council conducts its twice-monthly meetings. Ms. Means, who says she is an evangelical Christian, wants to see “In God We Trust” installed above a replica of the Bill of Rights.

“It’s our national motto,” she said. “It’s patriotism. It’s history.”

And obviously this legislation from this evangelical Christian has nothing what so ever to do with pushing religion into the legislative process. Nope. Not here. Never.  Look elsewhere for that.

Godless commie.

Anyway, the Trib has posted a copy of what Fitzgerald sent to the Council.  It says in part:

Over the last three years, our region has experienced economic growth, population growth and the return of a vibrancy in our communities that is contagious. One of the area in which we could do better is our diversity. It’s the reason that organizations like Vibrant Pittsburgh were created, the reason that Allegheny County become a “Welcoming County,” and the reason that we continue to participate in efforts and initiatives that express that we are a friendly community that welcomes everyone. A diverse population allows for different viewpoints and ways of life to be expressed. As a community, we should value the characteristics that make each person unique, rather than spending time on decisions that would communicate the exact opposite.

Support and passage of 8376-14 tells our residents and visitors that if they are Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Athiest, Muslim, Islamic or any other non-theistic group, they are not welcomed here. We are disrespecting other religions and beliefs by promoting one above others. If this legislation were to pass, we are telling everyone that our motto is that not all are welcome here. [Emphasis added.]

He included this P-G editorial and referenced this Trib piece.

Good for County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.  Let's hope the Council does the right thing and votes this legislation down.

SCOTUS Kills DOMA & Dismisses Prop 8: PA, It's Your Move Now!

 

PennLive takes a look at how today's ruling could make Pennsylvania "less appealing to progressive-minded businesses and their gay employees."

 

Via WTAE: "A spokesman for Republican Gov. Tom Corbett says he supports a state constitutional ban on gay marriage in Pennsylvania."

 

The celebration in Pittsburgh: Post-Gazette, The Trib & City Paper.

 

UPDATE: LGBTQPGH "City-county consolidation"

Reminder: G.O.T.V. Kick-off Rally Today!

Watch the Steelers, have a bite and a brew, and pick up election day materials -- what could be better?

WHAT: EUGENE DEPASQUALE FOR PA AUDITOR GENERAL - STEELERS PARTY & RALLY
WHEN: Sunday, November 4th, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
WHERE: James Street Gastropub (former James Street Tavern), 422 Foreland Street, Northside

http://www.eugene4pa.com

Bill Peduto Files for Mayoral Run, Already Endorsed by County Exec Rich Fitzgerald

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto announced this morning via Twitter/Facebook that he filed the paperwork necessary to make him eligible to run for Mayor of Pittsburgh:

Pretty much simultaneously, an email was sent by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald that he had contributed the maximum donation allowable by law to Peduto:

Peduto will officially announce his run for Mayor after the November 6th election.

This was covered on TV by the local noon news shows as well as (so far) by the following:

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• Pittsburgh City Paper (BlogH)
• PoliticsPA
• Progress Pittsburgh

(As well as predicted yesterday by John McIntire's AntiSocialCommentator.)

As anyone who's read this blog for any length of time knows, I've been all for Bill since its inception back in 2004 because I see him as a smart progressive with a real love and vision for this city. I feel obliged to mention, once again, that I've been working for People for Peduto since 2010. I want to mention that in that time, my respect for him has only grown stronger.

GO BILL!

Latest PA Voter ID Law News

1. Good on County Exec Rich Fitzgerald! He's using a loophole in the new Voter ID Law to allow nursing homes and colleges to issue their own free photo ID for voting in Allegheny County -- for any registered voter who wants it, not just residents and students. Plus, the requirements to get these IDs are not as onerous as the ones to get a PennDOT ID. The Kane Regional Center nursing home system and Community College of Allegheny County will be participating in this. Locations and dates to be announced later.

2. PA State Rep. Daryl "I don't Speak Mexican" Metcalfe says only lazy people will be disenfrachised from voting by PA's new Voter ID law -- just like those 47% Romney was talking about. Via Think Progress:

HOST: Are you absolutely convinced…that the methods to implement this law are effective and will in fact make sure no legitimate voter will be disenfranchised?  

METCALFE: I don’t believe any legitimate voter that actually wants to exercise that right and takes on the according responsiblity that goes with that right to secure their photo ID will be disenfranchised. As Mitt Romney said, 47% of the people that are living off the public dole, living off their neighbors’ hard work, and we have a lot of people out there that are too lazy to get up and get out there and get the ID they need. If individuals are too lazy, the state can’t fix that.

3. PA Comwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson will hold a hearing on September 25th on the new Voter ID Law. Testimony will be taken from both sides. In the meantime, the PA branch of the ACLU has asked Simpson for a preliminary injunction to block the new law.

4. The Tea-baggers are revolting (no pun intended). Via PoliticsPA:

The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, “warned today that it will organize to defeat Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Ron Castille, a Republican, and PA Supreme Court Justice Max Baer, a Democrat, in their respective 2013 retention races, if Voter ID is not implemented in the November, 2012 General Election,” the group wrote in a press release.

The Trib, The Towel, And The Bus

5 days ago, Richard Mellon Scaife's editorial board threw in the towel on the Raja campaign.

Today, they throw him under the bus.  It's hardly surprising that the Über Conservatives there would trash Rich Fitzgerald, the Democratic nominee, but look at how they treat the Republican nominee:

Rich Fitzgerald, the Democrat nominee, is a caricature of the worst 19th-century pol -- swaggering, arrogant and ignorant. Think of his baseless smearing of a Rankin steel company as a "sweatshop." Think of his outrageous "pay-to-play" e-mail to the Marcellus shale industry. Think of his vow to preserve an unconstitutional property-tax system that, in typical "progressive" fashion, shafts the very people he claims he wants to help.

D. Raja, the Republican nominee, is a caricature of the "polibuff" -- a political buffoon. Lots of plans, not a whole lot of specifics. Lofty if not admirable goals, largely beef-bereft. Worse is that Mr. Raja, too, advocates a moratorium on the long delayed but now underway property reassessment -- despite the unconstitutionality of the existing property-tax system and repeated court orders to fix it. As a businessman, Raja should know better. An illegal property-tax system is no harbinger of economic growth.

To them, Raja's not just a political buffoon but a caricature of a one.  That's harsh.

5 days ago, they found fault with his campaign staff as well:

The mess that is the Raja candidacy should force all political candidates to question the campaign consultants running his show. Not only have they repeatedly eschewed the advice of more experienced GOP hands, they established policy proposals based on polling, not on what was right.

Today, Colin McNickle completes the task:

While Mr. Fitzgerald, the Democrats' nominee for Allegheny County chief executive, suggests a Fleecing of the Gullible is in progress, the more apropos critique is that, despite some success, Mr. Raja's consultants lack intellectual maturity.

The young-buck duo of Mark Harris and Mike DeVanney cut off the GOP ACE nominee at the thighs when, during the primary, they used polling to determine that Raja's position on the oft-delayed property reassessment -- ordered by the courts because the old system was unconstitutional -- should parrot the Dems' vow to delay it even further.

It ranks among the stupidest decisions in modern Allegheny County politics.

Then there's this:

[Harris and DeVanney] also dismiss some who helped bring them to the dance and others who can cancel their future dances. But they dismiss the growing legions of the latter at their even greater professional and financial peril. It will be a difficult, but necessary, lesson for them to learn. [emphasis added.]

Uh-oh. Looks like The Trib's found who to blame.  And they're gonna pay for it for a while.

The Fracktivist Vote

While it certainly feels like the all the election talk is about 2012, you do have the opportunity to elect some folks next month. And while the focus for November in these parts has been squarely centered on Fitzgerald vs. Raja (ugh and triple ugh), there are other races. If you want a reason to go to the polls -- and to feel good about your vote -- how about showing some love to the candidates who have taken a stand against fracking?

Who are these pols? There's a Facebook group for that: Marcellus at the Polls 2011

You'll want to click on the "Docs" link to find the list for PA.

Those of particular interest to Burghers include:

EUGENE DEPASQUALE (D) for Auditor General - running in 2012
Statewide Race
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DePasqualePA
Campaign website: http://eugene4pa.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RepDePasquale
Platform (specific to mentioning his stance on drilling): http://eugene4pa.com/issues/pure-water/

DAVID WECHT (D) for Superior Court
Statewide Race
Campaign Ad (31 seconds): www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=291932100833883
Campaign website: http://www.wecht2011.com/
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Judge-David-N-Wecht/149288135132481?sk=wall
About the Superior Court: www.superior.court.state.pa.us/about.htm

KATHRYN BOOCKVAR for Commonwealth Court
Statewide Race
**SIERRA CLUB ENDORSED** (rare!)
Campaign website: www.boockvar.com/about-kathryn.html
One page resume: here
Platform on Marcellus within body: www.boockvar.com/index.html

COREY O'CONNOR (D) for Pittsburgh City Council District 5
(formerly held by fracktivist Doug Shields)
Campaign website: http://coreyoconnorforcouncil.com/
(Statement about fracking at the Facebook link above)

You can meet DePasquale this Sunday:

Join Eugene at a Steelers/Patriots Watch Party in Pittsburgh
Young Brother's Bar (1441 Woods Run Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA)
Between 3:00 and 8:00 this Sunday, October 30th
Complimentary admission for all.
Please RSVP or send questions to Liz Wagenseller at liz@eugene4pa.com

Also, while I'm not thrilled about Wecht's cutesy, Fitzgerald-syle, family TV ad currently running (really, I don't care what your kids think of any of you pols unless you're, say, beating them), he actually has an ad about fracking which you can view here.

VOTE!

Been poll-watching since 6:45 AM, just taking a ten minute break now to post my usual election day post. Here it is:



VOTE!
.