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My how time flies. It’s another weekend and time for a few more pictures of our gorgeous commonwealth.

First, a picture to warm the cockles of any central Pennsylvanian’s heart — the gun counter at Cabelas. This one is located just outside Hamburg along Rte #78 in Berks County. Lots and lots of firepower. Aaaaaaaah!

And check out the store’s centerpiece.

And if, like me, you’d rather have your beasties living and breathing you can always visit Lake Tobias’ wildlife park in Halifax north of Harrisburg [here]. There you can get up close and actually touch the critters [well, some of them -- stay away from the big cats..., and the gators..., and the bears and, ...well, any of the carnivores].

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In his speech supporting the Democrats’ stimulus package Bobby Casey let slip that one of the purposes of the bill was to channel funds to organizations like La Raza and ACORN. Captain Ed Morrisey calls him on it, pointing out that La Raza is a racist far left organization and ACORN has been involved in pro-Democrat voter fraud in the past. His comment:

This doesn’t look like a stimulus package. It looks more like an investment in further voter fraud.

Read the whole thing here.

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Now you’re talking. With John McCain almost certain to become the Republican nominee, Rick Santorum has turned his fire on the Democrats – in particular, Barack Obama:

Obama: A harsh ideologue hidden by a feel-good image by Rick Santorum

Let’s be clear about what Obama did, once in 2003 and twice before that. He effectively voted for infanticide. He voted to allow doctors to deny medically appropriate treatment or, worse yet, actively kill a completely delivered living baby. Infanticide – I wonder if he’ll add this to the list of changes in his next victory speech and if the crowd will roar: “Yes, we can.”

And here’s another good column about Obama from local Pittsburgh satirist Tom Purcell:

For the love of Obama by Tom Purcell

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I understand from some people that the Democrats registered more people than the Republicans in Montgomery County since the period starting November 1st. It was something like three to one.

Maybe Jim Matthews had something to do with it.

One of those registrations is actually a conversion.

Former State Rep Lita Cohen.

You might remember Lita Cohen.

She was so disturbed by George Bush in 2000, she refused to endorse him.

Though not disturbed enough by Santorum to endorse him in 2000.

Also a big fan of the Commissioner now State Treasurer candidate Tom Ellis, very publicly supporting his commissioner re-election bid.

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Nutter’s Call To Hire Outside Philadelphia is Right (as in The Philadelphia Bulletin)

In the wake of City Council’s defeat of a proposal to waive Philadelphia’s residency requirement for those seeking to work for the city, here’s a new marketing campaign for the city:

“Welcome to Philadelphia, a city both old and new. Old Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation and epitome of all things American, is represented by timeless symbols of freedom— such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Back then, Philadelphians understood the value of an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. They realized that if the American experiment was to succeed, it would be because of the people’s unwavering belief in pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps.

In contrast, today’s Philadelphia offers an insightful look into how far the city has progressed. Despite the misguided notions of the Founding Fathers, modern day Philadelphia is thriving, setting new records every year. In 2007 alone, it boasted the highest rates of murder, violence and poverty in the nation! While Philadelphia has more colleges and universities than any other city in the country, not only do we lose talent to other locations and climes, we also refuse to bring in outsiders, even if they’re the best and brightest. We have kept Philadelphia ahead of the curve by maintaining a residency requirement for those seeking city jobs, so that our citizens, regardless of ability and desire, have first dibs on opportunities.

So come visit Philadelphia— we just don’t want you to work here.”

Is it any wonder why people despise politicians and have no faith in government? City Council’s latest betrayal of the people is one more nail in the coffin of public trust.

Mayor Michael Nutter has been attempting to follow through on his campaign promise to revive the city’s economy and make Philadelphia a more desirable place to live and work. One of the key components of his plan is to ease the residency requirement for those working in the city. While he was able to obtain a waiver for police department recruits (they have to move into the city after six months on the job), City Council just killed legislation that would have opened up the the 24,000 civil-service jobs to everybody—not just those living in the city.

The status quo wins, but the people lose. What else is new?

So the old system remains, which simply boggles the mind. Follow this one: Anyone who wants to work for Philadelphia, but lives outside the city, is required to move into the city for one full year— before they can even apply for a city job.

Who in their right mind does that? Nobody. So we are left filling posts with people who are not the most qualified. The best and the brightest take their talents elsewhere.

Speaking of people not on the “bright” list, special recognition goes to Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. In her spirited opposition to making Philadelphians compete with outsiders for city jobs, she stated that “We should not speak with forked tongues….our people have a right to every job that we have.”

When reminded that she actually voted for the same legislation in 2001 that she now opposes, her brilliant response: “I didn’t even realize I voted for it then.” How’s that for rekindling your faith in City Council?

And how about her colleague, Councilman Wilson Goode, who not only voted for the legislation in 2001 but was a co-sponsor, who snapped at a reporter with the gall to ask him about his about-face on the issue: “That’s a ridiculous question. Why would I discuss something that happened seven years ago?”

Isn’t that brilliant? Maybe he and Jannie can host a talk show together.

What these Councilmen fail to grasp is that no one has a “right” to any job just because one happens to live within the boundaries of a city. There should be no special treatment, no preferences. America’s foundation is the free market, and it would behoove the City of Philadelphia to give that a try. It can’t be any worse than the ineffective “business as usual” system now in place.

If Philadelphians can’t compete, too bad. Improve or get buried. By putting up walls and stifling competition, City Council is sending the worst message possible.

Philadelphia has been held back for far too long, its position on the center stage constantly usurped by smarter cities. This must end.

Will Mayor Nutter use his office as a bully pulpit to take his case directly to the people?

We can only hope.

Chris Freind can be contacted at CF@TheBulletin.us

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Ouch. In a word, that describes tonight’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins. It was the first game with our new star Marian Hossa, and we were all ready to see what he could do.

The short version: Boston dominated the entire game, Pens lost 5 – 1, and worst of all, Hossa was injured halfway through the game and will be out for at least a week.

If the Pens had won tonight, they would have moved up into first place in the Eastern Conference, so I figured that they might do their usual thing when in this situation and choke. I just didn’t think that they were going to have the mother of all chokes. As I said… ouch.

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Rasmussen Reports has Hill ahead of Barak by four points:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Pennsylvania shows Hillary Clinton with a very narrow advantage over Barack Obama in the Democratic Presidential Primary. Clinton earns 46% of the vote while Obama earns 42%. Earlier polling by other firms had shown Clinton with a much larger lead in a state that was once considered favorable to her.

And what can account for her decline?

Clinton leads by fifteen points among women but trails by fourteen among men.

Fancy that! Men don’t like her.

Read the whole thing here. 

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Brett Leiberman:

Most Pennsylvania voters expect slot machines will raise an additional $1 billion a year by 2012, yet they’re not so optimistic that the extra revenue will mean much of a property tax cut for them.

Only about one-third of Pennsylvanians believe “significant property tax rebates” from slot machine revenues are “very likely” or “somewhat likely,” according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning.

Maybe because it was a crock of shit to begin with?

Oh yeah, and there’s this…

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber will make an announcement today regarding an expansion team and the Chester waterfront as a home for a soccer stadium.

The announcement will take place at 2 p.m. at Turbine Hall, 2501 Seaport Drive, Chester.

Also in attendance will be Gov. Rendell, ownership representatives for the proposed expansion team, and other state and federal officials.

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Heh.

During Tuesday’s debate in Ohio Hillary Clinton argued that Barack Obama had not gone far enough in speaking out against Louis Farrakhan. After the debate her pollster, Mark Penn, was in the spin room arguing that Obama may have rejected and denounced Farrakhan, but he failed to criticize his pastor’s praise of the Nation of Islam leader.

Well, if this race makes it to Pennsylvania, it will be interesting to find out what Clinton has to say on the issue of Farrakhan to her most important backer in the state, Governor Ed Rendell.

Then the mayor of Philadelphia, Rendell not only made a controversial decision to share the stage with Farrakhan in an effort to diffuse racial tensions in the city, but then praised the NOI for its emphasis on family values and self-sufficiency (this, after ripping what he described as “so-called Jewish leaders” for criticizing the decision to give Farrakhan a platform).

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Damn those conservative Democrat racists!

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, surging among younger voters, has cut Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lead among Pennsylvania likely Democratic primary voters to 6 points, 49 – 43 percent, after trailing by 16 points just two weeks ago, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

This compares to a 52 – 36 percent lead for Sen. Clinton February 14.

In a general election matchup, Sen. Clinton has 44 percent to 42 percent of registered voters for Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Republican front-runner. Sen. Obama has 42 percent to Sen. McCain’s 40 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

Texas and Ohio look to be headed Obama’s way… and Obama is gaining on Hillary! here… hmm….

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Pittsburghers Saddened By Loss Of Myron Cope

As Pittsburgh and the Steelers Nation mourns the loss of broadcaster Myron Cope today, a local sports museum is planning to pay tribute to the legendary broadcaster.

All across the Pittsburgh area, fans say they are feeling the loss.

“Yoi, Yoi, Yoi. What else can I possibly say,” Pittsburgher and local business owner, Jimmy Sunseri said. “The loss of a real gentleman. He was a philosopher. He, most certainly, was the most expertised individual on Steelers football that I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.”

Another Pittsburger, Nick Conangelo, said he grew up listening to Myron’s unique and beloved voice.

“Growing up, I can always remember him being on,” Conangelo said. “I would always turn off the sound of the television and turn him on the radio. I remember him doing many games, many, many games.”

Meanwhile, Michael Grossman, Steelers fan said, “There was only one Myron Cope.”

At the Western Pa. Sports Museum in the Heinz History Center, there is already an entire section dedicated to Cope, including the Terrible Towel.

R.I.P., Myron.

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Alex, that was actually a Flyers fan dressed in a penguin suit. Pittsburgh fans were horrified… since they had to wait 30 minutes for them clean all of that crap off the ice. Their chants of “Go Home, Flyers!” didn’t seem effective.

But seriously, the Zamboni transmission fluid spill happened before the Pens vs. Sharks game. Apparently the Sharks took a bite out of the Zamboni in order to delay the game, and their strategy worked – they won the game with a shootout victory.

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Pittsburgh hockey fans were horrified to witness an unscheduled animal sacrifice Tuesday night, as former Penguin great Mario Lemieux shoved an unknowing Emporer Penguin beneath the wheels of a zamboni between the second and third periods.

The sacrifice was successful as the Pens topped the Islanders 4 – 2.

Eddie LeBec could not be reached for comment.

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Pennsylvania Democrats seem to be making a habit of suing to keep people off the ballot. Don’t Democrats often spout rhetoric about how a healthy democracy has more people running for office, and more choices on the ballot? Riiiight.

But at the same time, how silly can you be, to only get 1,000 signatures when you need at least 1,000? With that kind of sloppiness, would Russell have really had much of a chance of defeating Murtha? I suppose we can also thank the Republican establishment in PA for helping Russell so much, since they clearly gave him some great advice about his campaign. Thanks, guys.

Anyway, to keep track of where the Dems stand on “choice”:

“Choice” to kill your children = Good
“Choice” to go to private schools = Bad
“Choice” to marry whatever you want = Good
“Choice” to run for office as a Republican = Bad

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Remember that Clearfield, Pa restaurant Denny’s Beer Barrell Pub with the 123 pound burger?

It was a world record.

At the time.

Saturday was probably the first time the line at the back of Mallie’s Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate wasn’t for the restrooms.

Dozens of customers — some with a cell phone in each hand ready to take a picture — jockeyed for position just outside the entrance to the kitchen.

They wanted to get the first glimpse at a 134-pound hamburger that could break the Guinness world record for the largest commercially available hamburger.

“Whoa, that’s a big burger,” said Marvetta Howard, 51, of Detroit, who had a seat near the kitchen. “I’m impressed. You don’t often see a Guinness record broken, so I’ll be buying a copy of the book when it comes out.”

The previous record was 123 pounds.

When the final weight was announced, chef Arthur Laramie wiped his brow and cracked a small smile.

“I’ve been cooking all night long,” Laramie said as the monster hamburger made its way to the front of the restaurant on a silver cart. “I just hope they don’t drop it.”

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Jack Murtha (D-Okinawa) won’t have a Republican opponent this year.

Tony Phyrillas sums it up.

One slight problem with Russell’s fledgling political career. Pennsylvania law requires a Congressional candidate to gather 1,000 valid signatures to have his or her name placed on the ballot. Russell turned in exactly 1,000 signatures. Anyone involved in politics will tell you that a candidate should gather twice as many signatures as he needs.)

Murtha, who has held the 12th District seat since 1974, filed a court challenge. A judge ruled Tuesday that at least 7 of Russell’s signatures were not valid. That left the Republican challenger with 993 valid signatures and plenty of egg on his face.

Exactly a thousand? Sheesh.

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Fifteen years ago today, the World Trade Center was attacked by Islamic fascists. Their plan? To set off a bomb at the base of one of the towers, causing it to fall into the other tower, destroying them both.

Their bomb went off, and six people were killed. A thousand people were injured, but the World Trade Center was able to survive the blast.

Eight years later, Islamic fascists struck again, and as we all know, that time, they succeeded in destroying the World Trade Center.

We must honor the memories of those Americans who were killed fifteen years ago, and one of the ways in which we should honor their memories is in acknowledging that the war on terror began long before George W. Bush and his “neocons” came into power. To claim otherwise is ridiculously ignorant, and it dishonors the dead. It is nothing but partisan nonsense at the expense of historical fact.

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Gort42.

No, not really.

It’s a replica.

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Maybe.

This would not come entirely out of the blue, if it’s true. McCain mentions Ridge frequently on the trail, and tactically it makes a lot of sense. Ridge was an extremely popular governor in Pennsylvania, and was widely believe to have been on the short list for the VP job in 2000. Also, Ridge is a combat veteran, like McCain. It would set up a strong contrast with a Democratic ticket that may not boast a veteran let alone a war hero.

Senator McCain didn’t check with me this week, but some of you might remember that Ridge was not on my “ok to veep” list. My thinkin was a geographic balance (the south), but more importantly a conservative balance.

The former is definitely not true, and the latter I’m not at all certain.

The big advantage to a Ridge candidacy, is that he might bring a few more points to the GOP table and turn our electoral college votes red.

The current PaWatercooler VP leader, Sarah Palin is well, watch it, but understands it’s unlikely.

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In case you had forgotten, Pennsylvania’s most corrupt congresscritter is holding a major fundraising dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pentagon City.  All the big defense contractors will be there with their checkbooks open.  RedState has called upon its readers to crash the affair. Now Americans for Prosperity is joining together with Citizens Against Government Waste and the National Taxpayers Union to hold a taxpayer rally outside the event.

Here’s the announcement:

The rally is scheduled to include Americans for Prosperity’s “Big Pig” to highlight the wasteful pork-barrel spending that is likely to result from Wednesday’s dinner.

Who: Americans for Prosperity, Citizens Against Government Waste and National Taxpayers Union

What: The Murtha Bash – Pork Crash

When: Wednesday, February 27, 2008, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Where: Top of the Pentagon City Metrorail station outside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 

 Read the whole thing here.

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