Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-11-06

I'm at Wissahickon Park (1037 Kitchens Ln., Philadelphia) http://t.co/7RCH8O1i # I'm at Fiorino Cucina Italiano (3572 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia) http://t.co/rVpLsdjx # I'm at White House North Lawn (1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington) http://t.co/WgPWBPpo # I'm at #OccupyPhilly (N 15th Street, at Market St., Philadelphia) w/ 4 others http://t.co/6Ag8hXSi # I'm at Starbucks (1500 Market St., at 16th St., Philadelphia) http://t.co/6F5J6o2h # I'm at #OccupyPhilly (N 15th Street, at Market St., Philadelphia) w/ 3 others http://t.co/ItGc9G79 # I'm at Highpoint cafe (602 Carpenter Ln, at Greene St, Philadelphia) http://t.co/6MH65Qcs # Continue reading

Yes, I Am Asking You To Vote For a Republican: Singer and Schmidt for Commissioner

Are you really asking me to vote for a Republican? That’s the question I get all the time, when I encourage people to give one of their two votes for City Commissioner to Al Schmidt. (The other one, of course, should go to Stephanie Singer.) I’m a liberal / progressive Democrat. I don’t recommend people vote for Republicans often. I’m pretty sure the last time I voted for Republicans it was for my dad for Village Justice in my hometown of Liberty, New York. New York elections have some peculiarities. One allows for cross-party endorsements. My dad was a Democrat but, knowing they could not beat him for reelection, the Republicans endorsed him. And knowing that I might not ever have a chance to vote for a Republican again, I voted for him on the Republican line. We have some electoral peculiarities in Philadelphia as well. One of them mandates… Continue reading

Why You Should Go to DC in Support of a Financial Transactions Tax

Heal America! Make Wall Street Pay! Event The National Nurses Union (NNU) is holding a rally and lobby day this Thursday, December 3, in Washington, DC in support of a financial transactions tax. The event is co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO and other progressive organizations. Here in Pennsylvania, Health Care For America Now (HCAN) is working with the local NNU affiliate PASNAP, to bring people to the rally by bus. The buses are FREE and will leave at 7:00 am from two locations, Temple University Hospital and 16th and JFK Boulevard. After a 11:30 rally, there will be a chance to do some lobbying on Capitol Hill and there may be a meeting with the staff of some of our members of Congress (or, if we can arrange it, the members themselves). The bus will leave Washington to return to Philly at 5:00 pm. Box meals will be provided in both… Continue reading

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-30

I'm at Annenberg Center for Performing Arts (3680 Walnut St, at 37th St, Philadelphia) w/ 2 others http://t.co/r6hHeVw4 # I'm at Pod (3636 Sansom St, btw 36th & 37th, Philadelphia) http://t.co/b1hPz9O7 # I'm at Bucks County Community College Tyler Hall (275 Swamp Road, Newtown) http://t.co/rS5lg9hj # I'm at Distrito (3945 Chestnut St, at 40th St, Philadelphia) w/ 3 others http://t.co/VodVO78r # I'm at Rave Motion Pictures (220 S 40th St., at Walnut St., Philadelphia) http://t.co/50PMtRvF # I'm at Restaurant Nan (4000 Chestnut St, 40th, Philadelphia) http://t.co/cF8KQBzK # I'm at Adam Kowalski Post (133 Shurs PB., Philadelphia) http://t.co/ZD5OqJcp # I'm at Black Pearl (7200 germantown ave, Philadelphia) http://t.co/SDtkxGXb # I'm at Vietnam Cafe (814 S 47th St, Philadelphia) http://t.co/dx4yFf3k # I'm at Rave Motion Pictures (220 S 40th St., at Walnut St., Philadelphia) w/ 3 others http://t.co/uuWYjQi5 # Continue reading

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-30

I'm at Annenberg Center for Performing Arts (3680 Walnut St, at 37th St, Philadelphia) w/ 2 others http://t.co/r6hHeVw4 # I'm at Pod (3636 Sansom St, btw 36th & 37th, Philadelphia) http://t.co/b1hPz9O7 # I'm at Bucks County Community College Tyler Hall (275 Swamp Road, Newtown) http://t.co/rS5lg9hj # I'm at Distrito (3945 Chestnut St, at 40th St, Philadelphia) w/ 3 others http://t.co/VodVO78r # I'm at Rave Motion Pictures (220 S 40th St., at Walnut St., Philadelphia) http://t.co/50PMtRvF # I'm at Restaurant Nan (4000 Chestnut St, 40th, Philadelphia) http://t.co/cF8KQBzK # I'm at Adam Kowalski Post (133 Shurs PB., Philadelphia) http://t.co/ZD5OqJcp # I'm at Black Pearl (7200 germantown ave, Philadelphia) http://t.co/SDtkxGXb # I'm at Vietnam Cafe (814 S 47th St, Philadelphia) http://t.co/dx4yFf3k # I'm at Rave Motion Pictures (220 S 40th St., at Walnut St., Philadelphia) w/ 3 others http://t.co/uuWYjQi5 # Continue reading

What Movement Building is About or Why We Don’t We Have a Laundry List of Demands

I’ve gotten pretty sick of hearing journalists and others say that the Occupy Wall Street movement has no “clear ideas or demands.” I keep wondering where political critics were when the Tea Party first arose as I don’t recall anyone calling the Tea Party out along these lines, other than to kill “Obamacare” and cut taxes. But since the mainstream media—that liberal media you read so much about—seems to have different expectations for left and right, I want to take a moment and explain why the OWS movement hasn’t been characterized by ten point plans or laundry lists of demands. Continue reading

Not a Scandal

A number of Philadelphia progressives, and some editorial writers and columnists, are hot and bothered because the Democratic Party has asked judges up for a retention vote in the November election to make a substantial contribution in order to be included on the official party ballot. I am one progressive who is utterly unmoved by this supposed scandal. The criticisms of the party, and its chair, Congressman Bob Brady, are based on three false assumptions. The first is that judicial elections should be non-political in nature. Anyone who has followed the decisions of the courts of the United States, including the Supreme Court, in the last century, and especially in the 2000 Presidential election, can see through the myth that the judicial process is somehow non-political. Democrats and Republicans tend to interpret the laws differently and in ways that reflect their different ideals.  Much the same is true in the… Continue reading

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-09

Unbelivable. Meeting ended early. We're on our way. #occupyphilly # @phillyjwj I meant am 😉 #occupyphilly #tiredfingers # @phillyjwj 9pm I think. # 9am #occupyphilly # Date October 6 #occupuphilly # Correction City Hall chosen as location #occupyphilly # Love park chosen as location for #occupyphilly # Considering Love Park as site for occupation #occupyphilly # 900+ @ Arch St Methodist Church #occupyphilly # If it were easy, winning the World Series wouldn't mean as much as it will! # Continue reading

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-10-09

Unbelivable. Meeting ended early. We're on our way. #occupyphilly # @phillyjwj I meant am 😉 #occupyphilly #tiredfingers # @phillyjwj 9pm I think. # 9am #occupyphilly # Date October 6 #occupuphilly # Correction City Hall chosen as location #occupyphilly # Love park chosen as location for #occupyphilly # Considering Love Park as site for occupation #occupyphilly # 900+ @ Arch St Methodist Church #occupyphilly # If it were easy, winning the World Series wouldn't mean as much as it will! # Continue reading