By Wally Edge
The fight for Majority Leader has offially begun. Frank Dermody has been endorsed by the Allegheny caucus to be the next majority leader over current leader Bill DeWeese. Dermody was first elected to office in 1990 and served last year as the caucus secretary.
http://www.politickerpa.com/wallyedgepa/2612/dermody-gets-support-alleganey-county
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll Has Died
HARRISBURG (AP) ― Catherine Baker Knoll, who at age 72 became the first woman to be elected as Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, died Wednesday. She was 78.
Knoll died at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she was recovering from treatment for cancer, Gov. Ed Rendell said in a statement.
"Today we mourn the passing of one of the strongest, most dedicated public servants in Pennsylvania's history," Rendell said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Catherine's family. She will be deeply missed."
Knoll was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in July 2008 and began radiation and chemotherapy treatments. She returned for the start of the fall Senate schedule in September, but showed signs of fatigue and on Sept. 22 announced she would heed the advice of doctors, family members and colleagues and take time off.
"Even as she fought cancer in recent months, she remained upbeat and dedicated to serving the commonwealth," Rendell said. "Catherine was a very passionate and exuberant advocate for many worthy causes. Her passing is a tremendous loss for the many people whose lives she touched."
A former schoolteacher and Democratic veteran, Knoll served two terms as state treasurer beginning in 1988. When she won re-election in 1992, she received one of the largest vote totals ever for a statewide Democratic candidate.
"I happen to think that Pennsylvania is like a 10-speed bicycle," Knoll said on the day she was sworn in as the state's 45th lieutenant governor in 2003. "We have gears we haven't even tried yet."
As lieutenant governor, she presided over the state Senate and chaired the state Board of Pardons and a local government advisory committee.
Rendell also asked her to serve as chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council.
Under state Constitution, Knoll will be replaced by the Senate President Pro Tempore, Joseph B. Scarnati III, R-Jefferson.
Knoll's tenure as treasurer had been damaged by allegations that a former campaign aide used his position to benefit from the sale of state bonds. Knoll was never implicated, but it came up repeatedly in the campaign.
Knoll was born in Sept. 3, 1930. Her father, Nicholas Baker, was the mayor of McKees Rocks, a Pittsburgh suburb. She originally tried nursing school, but disliked it, and went to Duquesne University to study history and education.
She met her husband, Charles Knoll, while she was a student and married him just before graduating.
She worked for local Democratic candidates, became a member of
the party's state committee and started working for PennDOT in the early 1970s.
In 1976, the party asked her to run for state treasurer. She lost to Robert E. Casey, a Cambria County official who was unrelated to future governor Robert P. Casey.
She ran for treasurer again in 1984, losing in the primary by fewer than 15,000 votes.
She pledged to never run for office again, but changed her mind when her husband, a postmaster, died in 1987. All four of their children encouraged her to do so.
Knoll, affectionately known as CBK, won handily and pledged to clean up a treasurer's office that she said was a mess. She said she was proud the agency provided $25 million in loans to small businesses through development centers at colleges and universities, as well as $100 million in low-rate first-home mortgages to single parents, first-time buyers and veterans. She also oversaw the startup of a college savings program for parents.
In 1996, her daughter Mina ran for treasurer and lost. Knoll raised eyebrows several times inside and outside the Capitol.
She once agreed to be the guest of honor at a fundraiser for a high-ranking Republican and was criticized by Democrats for agreeing to co-sponsor a fundraiser for another GOP state representative. Knoll ultimately canceled both plans.
In 2005, Knoll was forced to apologize to the family of a Marine killed in Iraq for showing up uninvited for his funeral and giving out a business card.
Family members said she made a remark about "our government" being against the war.
http://kdka.com/politics/Catherine.Baker.Knoll.2.862959.html
Knoll died at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she was recovering from treatment for cancer, Gov. Ed Rendell said in a statement.
"Today we mourn the passing of one of the strongest, most dedicated public servants in Pennsylvania's history," Rendell said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Catherine's family. She will be deeply missed."
Knoll was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in July 2008 and began radiation and chemotherapy treatments. She returned for the start of the fall Senate schedule in September, but showed signs of fatigue and on Sept. 22 announced she would heed the advice of doctors, family members and colleagues and take time off.
"Even as she fought cancer in recent months, she remained upbeat and dedicated to serving the commonwealth," Rendell said. "Catherine was a very passionate and exuberant advocate for many worthy causes. Her passing is a tremendous loss for the many people whose lives she touched."
A former schoolteacher and Democratic veteran, Knoll served two terms as state treasurer beginning in 1988. When she won re-election in 1992, she received one of the largest vote totals ever for a statewide Democratic candidate.
"I happen to think that Pennsylvania is like a 10-speed bicycle," Knoll said on the day she was sworn in as the state's 45th lieutenant governor in 2003. "We have gears we haven't even tried yet."
As lieutenant governor, she presided over the state Senate and chaired the state Board of Pardons and a local government advisory committee.
Rendell also asked her to serve as chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council.
Under state Constitution, Knoll will be replaced by the Senate President Pro Tempore, Joseph B. Scarnati III, R-Jefferson.
Knoll's tenure as treasurer had been damaged by allegations that a former campaign aide used his position to benefit from the sale of state bonds. Knoll was never implicated, but it came up repeatedly in the campaign.
Knoll was born in Sept. 3, 1930. Her father, Nicholas Baker, was the mayor of McKees Rocks, a Pittsburgh suburb. She originally tried nursing school, but disliked it, and went to Duquesne University to study history and education.
She met her husband, Charles Knoll, while she was a student and married him just before graduating.
She worked for local Democratic candidates, became a member of
the party's state committee and started working for PennDOT in the early 1970s.
In 1976, the party asked her to run for state treasurer. She lost to Robert E. Casey, a Cambria County official who was unrelated to future governor Robert P. Casey.
She ran for treasurer again in 1984, losing in the primary by fewer than 15,000 votes.
She pledged to never run for office again, but changed her mind when her husband, a postmaster, died in 1987. All four of their children encouraged her to do so.
Knoll, affectionately known as CBK, won handily and pledged to clean up a treasurer's office that she said was a mess. She said she was proud the agency provided $25 million in loans to small businesses through development centers at colleges and universities, as well as $100 million in low-rate first-home mortgages to single parents, first-time buyers and veterans. She also oversaw the startup of a college savings program for parents.
In 1996, her daughter Mina ran for treasurer and lost. Knoll raised eyebrows several times inside and outside the Capitol.
She once agreed to be the guest of honor at a fundraiser for a high-ranking Republican and was criticized by Democrats for agreeing to co-sponsor a fundraiser for another GOP state representative. Knoll ultimately canceled both plans.
In 2005, Knoll was forced to apologize to the family of a Marine killed in Iraq for showing up uninvited for his funeral and giving out a business card.
Family members said she made a remark about "our government" being against the war.
http://kdka.com/politics/Catherine.Baker.Knoll.2.862959.html
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
We owe veterans our appreciation
By National Commander David K. Rehbein
John C. Villepigue was a 22-year-old Army corporal from Camden, S.C. On a mid-October day, Villepigue and two comrades were on a scouting mission when they were ambushed and bombarded with enemy machine gun fire. One of Villepigue's fellow scouts was instantly killed and the other seriously wounded, but Villepigue charged on. Advancing another 500 yards, he killed four enemy soldiers, captured six more and secured the two enemy machine guns, while sustaining serious injuries of his own.
Villepigue was not a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan, although similar brave acts have occurred there. He was a veteran of World War I and he succumbed to his wounds six months after the ambush. For his actions at Vaux-Adigny, France, he received the Medal of Honor. He passed away on April 18, 1919, one month after a group of his fellow World War I veterans in Paris founded a veterans organization called The American Legion.
The new Legionnaires vowed to "preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great Wars." As the current head of that same organization, I can attest that it is a promise that The American Legion lives up to everyday. While Veterans Day is intended to honor all of the great men and women who have served in the U.S. military, Americans should remember that every moment that we spend in freedom is due to the sacrifices that generations of heroes have made on our behalf.
America is what it is because of our veterans. Historian Stephen Ambrose once wrote, "America's wars have been like rungs on a ladder by which it rose to greatness. No other country has triumphed so long, so consistently or on such a vast scale through force of arms."
Nobody hates wars more than those who have had to fight them, but let us never forget that wars have maintained our freedom, liberated slaves, stopped genocide and toppled terrorists. It is insufficient to simply say that we support the troops but not follow up on that commitment with deeds. The White House and Congress need to ensure that the VA health system is always fully funded and accessible to all veterans. The new GI Bill needs to be user-friendly and sufficiently cover the high cost of education. Americans should assist family members of those deployed overseas by offering friendship and neighborly assistance in their communities. Most of all, Americans should never blame the soldier for decisions made by politicians.
Not all veterans have seen war, but they have all taken oaths in which they expressed their willingness to die defending this nation. This loyalty and devotion should be rewarded by the would-be employer considering a qualified job applicant who has worn the uniform of our great nation. It should be remembered by the landlord frustrated that the family of one of his deployed tenants has fallen a little behind on the rent. It should be understood by the college professor whose student had to miss a few classes to receive medical treatment at the VA hospital.
Veterans are proud. Many are successful business leaders, police officers, teachers, and other pillars of the community. While some may have struggled through tough times, they ask for neither hand-outs nor pity. There are far easier ways to receive government assistance than to crawl around in the dirt and get shot at. Simply put, veterans just want what we all owe them - the thanks of a grateful nation.
George Washington had it right when he said, "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."
The American Legion appreciates their service. We owe them no less.
David K. Rehbein of Ames, Iowa, is national commander of the 2.6 million-member American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans organization.
http://ourvoice.legion.org/story/805/we-owe-veterans-our-appreciation
John C. Villepigue was a 22-year-old Army corporal from Camden, S.C. On a mid-October day, Villepigue and two comrades were on a scouting mission when they were ambushed and bombarded with enemy machine gun fire. One of Villepigue's fellow scouts was instantly killed and the other seriously wounded, but Villepigue charged on. Advancing another 500 yards, he killed four enemy soldiers, captured six more and secured the two enemy machine guns, while sustaining serious injuries of his own.
Villepigue was not a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan, although similar brave acts have occurred there. He was a veteran of World War I and he succumbed to his wounds six months after the ambush. For his actions at Vaux-Adigny, France, he received the Medal of Honor. He passed away on April 18, 1919, one month after a group of his fellow World War I veterans in Paris founded a veterans organization called The American Legion.
The new Legionnaires vowed to "preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great Wars." As the current head of that same organization, I can attest that it is a promise that The American Legion lives up to everyday. While Veterans Day is intended to honor all of the great men and women who have served in the U.S. military, Americans should remember that every moment that we spend in freedom is due to the sacrifices that generations of heroes have made on our behalf.
America is what it is because of our veterans. Historian Stephen Ambrose once wrote, "America's wars have been like rungs on a ladder by which it rose to greatness. No other country has triumphed so long, so consistently or on such a vast scale through force of arms."
Nobody hates wars more than those who have had to fight them, but let us never forget that wars have maintained our freedom, liberated slaves, stopped genocide and toppled terrorists. It is insufficient to simply say that we support the troops but not follow up on that commitment with deeds. The White House and Congress need to ensure that the VA health system is always fully funded and accessible to all veterans. The new GI Bill needs to be user-friendly and sufficiently cover the high cost of education. Americans should assist family members of those deployed overseas by offering friendship and neighborly assistance in their communities. Most of all, Americans should never blame the soldier for decisions made by politicians.
Not all veterans have seen war, but they have all taken oaths in which they expressed their willingness to die defending this nation. This loyalty and devotion should be rewarded by the would-be employer considering a qualified job applicant who has worn the uniform of our great nation. It should be remembered by the landlord frustrated that the family of one of his deployed tenants has fallen a little behind on the rent. It should be understood by the college professor whose student had to miss a few classes to receive medical treatment at the VA hospital.
Veterans are proud. Many are successful business leaders, police officers, teachers, and other pillars of the community. While some may have struggled through tough times, they ask for neither hand-outs nor pity. There are far easier ways to receive government assistance than to crawl around in the dirt and get shot at. Simply put, veterans just want what we all owe them - the thanks of a grateful nation.
George Washington had it right when he said, "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."
The American Legion appreciates their service. We owe them no less.
David K. Rehbein of Ames, Iowa, is national commander of the 2.6 million-member American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans organization.
http://ourvoice.legion.org/story/805/we-owe-veterans-our-appreciation
Monday, November 10, 2008
New Forum for Constitution Party
I started a new forum as requested. Most of the domains I tried to buy were already bought up and someone is trying to sell them for a profit.
I already had http://www.believeinamerica.com so I have installed the forum there. I need some suggestions for forum categories and topics, right now it just says general discussion.
Give me your input and lets make it a central place for the CP to share ideas and coordinate our efforts.
http://www.believeinamerica.com
If your good at graphic work and would like to donate a header graphic that would be appreciated. Until then I will work one.
Please give me feedback.
Ray
http://www.chuckbaldwinforum.com/new-forum-for-constitution-party-t-942.html
I already had http://www.believeinamerica.com so I have installed the forum there. I need some suggestions for forum categories and topics, right now it just says general discussion.
Give me your input and lets make it a central place for the CP to share ideas and coordinate our efforts.
http://www.believeinamerica.com
If your good at graphic work and would like to donate a header graphic that would be appreciated. Until then I will work one.
Please give me feedback.
Ray
http://www.chuckbaldwinforum.com/new-forum-for-constitution-party-t-942.html
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