Hershey’s Sour Kisses

Hershey's is exploiting international students and, as a bonus, denying Pennsylvanians jobs.



Hundreds of international students signed up for a special U.S. State Department approved visa program designed to promote cultural exchange and international understanding. However, once here, they found themselves working long hours packing chocolates instead of working in a public position. But the exploitation goes further. First they paid $3,000-6,000 for the “opportunity” to work for Hershey. Then they were forced to live in company housing and also were charged for other expenses leaving most of the students with $40 to $140 per week after 40 hours of work. On top of that, when they complained about their working conditions they were threatened with deportation.



You can click here to send a message to John Bilbrey, Hershey Company CEO, that we won't stand for this.



You can also go to Market Square today at 12:30 PM where One Pittsburgh, community supporters and guestworkers from the Hershey plant in Palmyra will be performing a short skit to "inform people during their lunch-break of the exploitation the guest workers faced at the hands of Hershey."

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Rally at Toomey's Office at Noon Today

Sen. Pat Toomey (Tea Party-PA) is a favorite son of both the Club for Growth and the teahadists. Pennsylvania's junior Senator believes in magic -- he believes that tax cuts create revenue. Not only did he sign Grover Norquist's anti tax pledge and voted no on raising the debt ceiling, he believes the best course of action during the 2008 financial meltdown would have been to do nothing and let the chips fall where they may.



Of course, this meant that he was deemed to be eminently qualified to become a member of the "Super Congress."



If you believe that what Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the country needs is jobs and not tax cuts. If you believe that the past decade of tax cuts for the "job creators" has only made the rich richer and not produced the promised jobs. If you believe your own lying eyes and not the smoke being blown up your ass, then this rally is for you:



August 2011 Recess Action

Station Square - Toomey's Office

100 West Station Square (Map)

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Thursday, August 18th, 12:00 PM

This action is being sponsored by many groups including MoveOn, OnePittsburgh, We Are One, Democracy for Pittsburgh, and, undoubtedly many more.



There's strength in numbers -- join us!



Many of the groups are meeting at the Stattion Square T station at 11:45 to walk over together.



Also, if you listened to Lynn Cullen's show yesterday, you know to expect to see her and Pittsburgh City Paper Editor Chris Potter there too.

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Frack me? No, no! Frack you!

Anyone who has spent any time listening to the pro fracking crowd knows that pretty much the first thing out of their mouths is the assertion that there's never been a proven case of fracking contaminating underground drinking water -- it's been their mantra. I maintain that that is pretty much a red herring as you do not need to pollute groundwater to harm the water supply. The water used in fracking has to go somewhere and very little is being recycled. Aside from illegal dumping and leaching from fracking pools, water treatment facilities simply aren't equipped to handle even the legal disposal of the witches' brew of toxicity found in the "flowback" water.

That said, guess what? Turns out there is a very well documented case of this very thing and the EPA has known about it for decades. Count me not shocked that they've all been lying to us this whole time.

In Pittsburgh, the City Council voted 6-3 to allow residents to decide if they want fracking in the city, but even though that's a veto-proof majority, the Mayor could simply sit on the bill making it too late to get on the November ballot as a referendum. Council requested that Lil Mayor Luke return it to them by the 8th at 4:30 PM, but we know how well the Mayor listens to Council -- the majority anyway -- so if you believe the citizens should have a say, contact the Mayor now:

Email: luke.ravenstahl@city.pittsburg​h.pa.us
Phone: 412-255-2626

Lastly, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato has poked his head above ground to weigh in on the referendum. Via the Trib:

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato said Wednesday he has "serious concerns" about the legality of Pittsburgh City Council's proposed ballot referendum banning natural gas drilling within city limits.

Council on Monday approved legislation that would ask voters to decide in November whether to add the ban to the city's Home Rule Charter. Council banned Marcellus shale gas drilling within city limits in November.

Councilman Doug Shields proposed the bill, saying a charter amendment would make the ban harder to overturn. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who said he has concerns about the legality of the ban, is considering a veto.

In a written statement, Onorato said he directed the county solicitor and Elections Department to review and analyze the referendum.

[sigh]
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A challenger for Bob Casey?

Via Politico:

Pennsylvania Republicans may finally be closing in on a viable recruit to take on Democratic Sen. Bob Casey: wealthy businessman Steve Welch.

Welch met with National Republican Senatorial Committee officials this week in Washington, POLITICO has learned. People familiar with his thinking say Welch is considering a run more seriously than when GOPers first tried to recruit him earlier in the year.

Welch made a run for Congress last year but aborted his efforts when Jim Gerlach got back into the race. You can still see Welch's campaign website here.
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2 Political Junkies named in Washington Post's The Fix’s best state-based political blogs

2 Political Junkies was named in Washington Post's The Fix’s Best State-based Political Blogs for 2011. We were also named in 2009 (there was no list for 2010). We are the only PA blog to make both lists (which may say more about our obsessiveness than anything else).

We thank The Fix and WE THANK OUR READERS!

Here are the other winners for Pennsylvania:





Congratulations to all!
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Pittsburgh Meet & Greet for Rep. Eugene DePasquale, candidate for Auditor General of PA -- Tomorrow

Meet & Greet with State Rep. Eugene DePasquale

WHAT: Pittsburgh Meet & Greet for Rep. Eugene DePasquale, candidate for Auditor General of PA
WHEN: Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
WHERE: AVA Restaurant, 126 S. Highland Avenue & Baum Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Suggested Contribution: $25

RSVP: Via email to liz@eugene4pa.com or on Facebook here

Checks may be made out to “DePasquale for PA” and brought to the event or mailed to: DePasquale for PA, PO Box 1822 York, PA 17405

Donations may also be made online via ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/24166

http://eugene4pa.com

Rep. Eugene DePasquale (D-95, York) is serving his third term in the state House of Representatives, and has established himself as a strong progressive voice and a leading reformer in Harrisburg. Among his many accomplishments, Eugene was the first legislator in Pennsylvania’s history to post his legislative expenses online, and he was a leader in the fight to strengthen our state’s open records law.

Eugene is running for Auditor General because he believes we need a strong check on Governor Corbett and his administration. As Auditor General, Eugene will fight to protect working families by eliminating wasteful spending and increasing accountability.

Prior to serving in the legislature, DePasquale served as a Deputy Secretary in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) where he fought to protect the environment and expand Pennsylvania’s alternative energy production capabilities. While at DEP, Eugene also played a key role in attracting the world’s largest wind energy company, Gamesa, to relocate a significant portion of their operations to Pennsylvania.

A native Pittsburgher and lifelong Pennsylvanian, DePasquale has a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Wooster (OH) where he played football and baseball. Eugene has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a juris doctorate from Widener University School of Law. He also is a graduate of Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and played for the first Quad-A state football champions in state history.

We hope you can join us in supporting a candidate for Auditor General with the experience, proven track record and core progressive values to protect Pennsylvania's taxpayers and keep state government honest, open and transparent.

On Marcellus Shale:

Coloring outside the lines

It may not come as a great shock to those who read this blog that as a child I did not always color within the lines. In fact, I often very deliberately drew and colored outside the lines -- changing the fashions, hairstyles, gender and race in the Dick and Jane-style illustrations in my coloring books at will.

So, imagine how much fun I would have had with this propaganda piece coloring book:


In it, "Talisman Terry" the "friendly Fracosaurus" explains the wonders of natural gas and fracking with a big, happy face. No mean, old, inconvenient fracking concerns are allowed as the book is published by Talisman Energy. You can view the entire book here and the Post-Gazette article about it here.

I've already started coloring my copy:


I think all parents should download a copy and educate their children as to what's missing from the book so that they can add fracking ponds, exploding rigs, fireballs in sinks, ripped-up roads, etc. to the pretty, pretty pictures and mail them back to Talisman Energy.

Keep coloring outside the lines!


(h/t to Doug Shields)

2 Political Junkies shares "Best Political Blog in the Pittsburgh Region" - PoliticsPA

PoliticsPA recently set about determining what are the best political blogs in Pennsylvania. Deservedly won were:

Best Overall Political Blog: Capitol Ideas, Allentown Morning Call
Best Print-Backed Blog: Early Returns, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(Though, personally, I would have reversed those.)

And, then there was this:


(Click to enlarge)
Hey, we're happy to share the distiction with Early Returns.

A big THANK YOU to PoliticsPA and everyone who participated!
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Freep this poll!

At the P-G:

"Republican state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would outlaw strikes by public school teachers. Would you like to see this become law?."

Signs of Spring in PA

Blog for Equality Pgh Central
Aaah! The signs of spring in Pennsylvania are upon us: Daffodils and tulips bloom, winter coats are put away, and some douchebag in the PA State House offers up a "Marriage Protection" amendment to our Constitution.

This time around it's Daryl Metcalfe. (Serously, it's apparently a real Rite of Spring with these guys --see here and here.)

Don't let them succeed in their sad little dance. Sign the petition here to stop House Bill 1434.
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Action Item: Pennsylvania HB 574

Most of you will remember the case of Dr. Kermit Gosnell who operated a House of Horrors under the guise of an abortion clinic in Philadelphia. Comparing his office to actual abortion clinics in PA is like comparing a crack house to a Rite Aid. The response of our state legislature to this has been to craft a bill -- HB 574 -- that would shut down most legitimate clinics. Among other things it would do include:

- Abortion providers would be required to increase the size of their procedure rooms by 3 or 4 times their current size.

- Many providers would be required to employ a full-time registered nurse (RN) even when abortion procedures are not being performed.

The bill will likely be voted on today.

You need to contact your state representative and tell them to vote NO on HB 574.

You can sign a petition here and call the State House to contact your Rep. via Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates:

Here's where you come in. Call 717-496-9866 and you'll be connected with our system which will direct you to your State Representative's office in Harrisburg. When you call in, we'll tell you exactly what to say whenever you reach your State Rep's Office. Call 717-496-9866 now -- there is no easier or faster way to do your part today! The House will probably vote before early afternoon, so please call as soon as you can!

Remember: call 717-496-9866, and you'll be connected to your State Rep. Be sure to say that House Bill 574 is NOT the solution. Stay tuned for updates from the Capitol. Thank you for your support!

Earth Day 2011

Today is Earth Day (and "Greener Pittsburgh Day" in the City of Pittsburgh).

In completely related news, there was a major blowout at a fracking gas well in Pennsylvania this week spilling "thousands of gallons of chemical-laden fracking fluid" and forcing some families out of Leroy Township in Bradford County.

Via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Chesapeake suspended all post-drilling activity on its wells in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, a freeze that will remain in place while they investigate why the well malfunctioned.

Via WITF:

Chesapeake’s voluntary fracking moratorium came a few hours after environmental group PennFuture urged DEP to shut down the company’s drilling operations. “This latest serious problem at a Chesapeake Energy well site demands a serious and vigorous response from DEP,” said president and CEO Jan Jarrett in a statement. “… let’s remember that in February, an inferno erupted at one of Chesapeake’s wells in Washington County injuring three workers. Clearly this company needs to get its house in order and demonstrate to DEP and the public that it can carry on drilling operations safely.”

Maybe if Chesapeake wasn't so busy shilling in the comment section of blogs and other social media sites, they could pay more attention to their drilling activities.

Song for the day:

Gov. Corbett: Favoring natural gas severance tax is "un-American"

According to Scott Detrow -- who covers state government and politics for Pennsylvania's public radio stations, including WITF in Harrisburg, WHYY in Philadelphia and WDUQ in Pittsburgh -- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett called the concept of a natural gas severance tax "un-American." (Even though that's what they do in every other state.)

This would be in a speech he made before the State Association of Township Supervisors yesterday. And, the tax he would be so opposed to would be on those who come to PA to extract gas from the Marcellus Shale via fracking -- a process which aside from producing mini-earthquakes -- creates millions of gallons of contaminated water. We aren't allowed to know exactly what chemicals are contained in that water as the Bush/Cheney Energy Bill exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act. And, we found out confirmation this weekend via the New York Times that:

Oil and gas companies injected hundreds of millions of gallons of hazardous or carcinogenic chemicals into wells in more than 13 states from 2005 to 2009, according to an investigation by Congressional Democrats.

Hmm, now that sounds "un-American."

What also sounds "un-American" is Corbett's appointment of C. Alan Walker, "a coal industry cited numerous times for polluting streams and drinking water" to acting secretary for the state's Department of Community and Economic Development and to the state's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission. Most importantly, Corbett "gave him authority to expedite and influence permits at any state agency, including the Department of Environmental Protection, which regulates drilling in the Marcellus Shale."

Hmm, having the fox guard the hen house. That used to be considered "un-American."

Keystone Progress has a petition that you can sign to let Corbett know what exactly you consider to be "un-American."
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It's a twister!

Photo by Mike Lupinacci a friend of Mike Lupinacci

We don't get many actual tornadoes out this way (more straight-line winds), but it sure looks like one touched down yesterday evening in Westmoreland County (Post-Gazette, Tribune-Review).

Fort Allen seemed to be the hardest hit area according to the local TV news reports. Also hit was Hempfield High School (my alma mater) where the roof was torn off of the mini-auditorium and the field house. Fortunately, no one was hurt even though students were participating in after-school activities at the time. Here's a video of it about to hit the school:

Here on the South Side of Pittsburgh, we experienced large marble-sized hail. (I joined half my neighbors on my block rushing to our windows to see what was making all that racket.)

I have to admit that while I'm very happy that no one was hurt at good ol' HASH (Hempfield Area Sr. High as it was called back in the day), I did spend one or more study halls wishing that a twister would spirit me or the whole school off Wizard of Oz-style. On that note, while I was looking for footage on YouTube, I came across the following video. While it's from the Class the year before mine, it gave me a good laugh.

WARNING! This video contains more scenes of feathered hair than is recommended for viewing in a single sitting!

(Or just watch the movie Dazed and Confused)
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Politico takes a look at Joe Sestak

Politico takes a look at Joe Sestak's political future in an article today. During their interview, Sestak said, “I don’t know what I’ll do next. I do know that whatever it is, it will be part of public service.”

Read the entire article here.
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Time’s Run Out: It’s Sudden Death for adultBasic

If you're downtown today:

Time’s Run Out: It’s Sudden Death for adultBasic

42,000 of our neighbors in PA are set to lose their health insurance on Monday, February 28th. PHAN is hosting a vigil outside the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg at 5:30pm and is organizing a NOON RALLY in Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh to fight back.

Please join us to send the message to Gov. Corbett that we won’t stand by while he sides with big insurance companies over hardworking PA families. Help us show the Governor that the people of PA are not ok with cutting lifesaving health insurance programs—especially when the funding exists to save them!

Just like in Wisconsin, this is not about the budget—it’s about politicians putting the agendas of wealthy special interests over the needs and priorities of their constituents. The new radical political majorities in Harrisburg and across the country must be put on notice: we will NOT give up the fight for fairness and dignity for working people and for health care justice for all.

Stand with us on Monday—we want to get at least 100 folks there, so please send this to everyone you know!

WHAT: Solidarity Action to Stand Up for the 42,000 Working People at Risk of Losing Their Health Coverage Today
WHERE: Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh
WHEN: Monday, Feb. 28th, 12:00pm

PS. If you or anyone you know is on adultBasic, please ask them to get in touch with me. We’ll be continuing to fight for a program like adultBasic (if it does end Monday as expected) and will definitely want to help folks get connected to any other resources and options available in the meantime. egill@pahealthaccess.org

and this:

"If you haven’t seen it yet, a lot of them have been posting messages to the Governor on his Facebook page, and on our Save adultBasic Facebook group page."

Horses: Yes; Women: No

Via Blog for Choice:

Politico and RH Reality Check are reporting that anti-choice Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana has introduced an amendment to a spending bill that would promote contraception--for wild horses.

But, they strip all federal funding for Planned Parenthood (mind you, this would be funding for contraceptives, cancer screenings, basic health care, etc. and not abortions) and want to stop all funds for all family planning for low-income Americans (Title X).

That would be:

Horses 1, Women 0

At least you know where you stand, ladies (barefoot and pregnant).

Via Digby, during the course of the debate on defunding Planned Parenthood:

Rep. Jackie Speier listened to debate on the House floor on Thursday evening as a Republican Rep. Chris Smith read a long, detailed description of an abortion and a "mangled image of a dead, tiny baby." Finally, Speier stood up and told her colleagues she had undergone an abortion in the early 1990s following a complication nearly four months into her pregnancy.

"As the night wore on, the vitriol and grotesque commentary got worse and worse," Speier, a second-term Democrat from California, told HuffPost. "I sat there thinking, none of these men on the other side have even come close to experiencing this, and yet they can pontificate about what it's like. It just overwhelmed me."

[snip]

"This was a wanted pregnancy, it was the second miscarriage I had had," she told HuffPost. "What they express doesn't come close to the experience that a woman goes through when she is losing a baby or when a pregnancy is terminated. It's a painful, gut-wrenching loss."

[snip]

Representative Speier shouldn't have to bare her personal life to the whole country. But she did because cynical, paternalistic Congressmen like Smith and Mike Pence thinks she is a child, a cruel child, who like all women cannot be trusted to make her own decisions. They have no clue about these experiences and no respect for the agency and autonomy of those who have to deal with them. (The women who support these patriarchal nincompoops are just as disrespectful.) It is a rare woman who has an abortion without understanding the seriousness of it and no one but she can rightly make the decision.

If you haven't already, watch Rep. Speier speak here:


Of course, here in PA, women are used to being treated as children (stupid and cruel children at that) as there is a mandatory lecture and waiting period for all women who seek an abortion in this state.
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Tell them you can't kill us or our doctors: Rally on Thursday!

(Click to embiggen)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011, 4:30pm-5:30pm
The Old Allegheny County Morgue
542 4th Avenue, Downtown
(Corner of 4th Avenue and Ross Street)
We may be mere "physical locations" and less than full citizens -- or even persons -- in their eyes, but it's time to tell them that you can't kill us or our doctors. You can't continue to attack our health care and our Reproductive Justice. You can't turn back the clock because we won't back down.

It's time to go Egyptian on their asses because they're trying to go medieval on ours.

We won't go back.



We won't go back.


More info and RSVP here
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Have A Heart, Governor Corbett Rally! (adultBasic)

Via http://www.consumerhealthcoalition.org/:

HAVE A HEART, TOM CORBETT! RALLY TO SAVE adultBasic
MONDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2011 @ Noon at the Governor’s Regional Office located at 301 Fifth Avenue (On the Corner of Wood and Fifth).

We will meet next two the lion statues (have some courage, too, governor!) and have a short rally where we will hear perspective from persons who have received their adultBasic termination letter as well as persons who are on the waiting list (along with a half million other Pennsylvanians!).

Following the rally, a group of us will deliver the Valentines to the Governor’s Regional office.

More on adultBasic here.
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Allegheny County PA judge rules minor too immature to choose an abortion, but not too immature to have a baby

Via The Morning Call:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will consider the role judges play in deciding when a minor can have an abortion.

In the case, In re Jane Doe, a minor girl asked an Allegheny County judge for permission to have an abortion after she was unable to obtain consent from one of her parents, as required by the state Abortion Control Act. The judge denied her request and the girl appealed, but lost again.

Now the girl's lawyers have asked the state Supreme Court if a lower court should have done more. They argue the appeals court should have reached its own conclusions on the girl's maturity and ability to consent to such a procedure, rather than simply review the county judge's legal process.

[snip]

Jennifer Boulanger, executive director of the Allentown Women's Center, which counsels women seeking abortions, said she has never seen a judge deny a minor's permission to seek an abortion.

Please explain to me how someone -- anyone -- can be too immature to want to seek an abortion but mature enough to have a child? How can someone be mature enough to face the medical, emotional and financial consequences (even if they decide to give the baby up) of carrying a pregnancy to term and delivery, but can't be allowed to decide to chose to end the pregnancy? In fact, for all the judge knows, if forced to deliver, the minor may decide to keep the baby in which case the judge believes that someone can be mature enough to actually raise a child but immature enough to not be pregnant. HUH?

I have heard that Phil Ignelzi is the judge in question in this case.

Interesting that while Ignelzi was fairly vague to the League of Women Voters and the Steel City Stonewall Democrats while running for election (because, you know, it would be "inappropriate and unfair" to get too specific), the group People Concerned for the Unborn Child determined that he was anti choice and endorsed him -- in fact, he was the only candidate who they endorsed for that seat (out of a total of five who they could have endorsed):


A guess a little birdie told them. Funny how that always seems to happen when it comes to anti choice candidates . . .
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