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 Who makes the best Bloody Mary in the city? Where is the best brunch?  Freindly Fire has no idea.  Thankfully, though, there are much smarter folks who know the best things in and around the nation’s fourth-largest market. For those gems, see the “Best of Philly” awards in this month’s Philadelphia Magazine.

There are, however, some other non-politically correct Best and Worst Awards that should be bestowed on very deserving winners…and losers.  Following is Freindly Fire’s List:

Best Of Philly

Best snowfall removal: Anywhere but Philadelphia. The streets were absolutely deplorable, with significant snow and ice on major city roads days after the storms, not to mention that many side streets were simply impassable. How did city residents react?  Almost 80 percent voted for Mayor Nutter in the May primary. In comparison, Chicagoans kicked out their Mayor for similar incompetence in 1979.   Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…just don’t complain when you can’t get to work. He’s your Mayor.

Best Political Comeback: IBEW 98 boss John Dougherty.  After losing a bid for the state senate and coming up short in clashes with Democratic party powerbroker Bob Brady, Doc came roaring back.  He garnered huge headlines by trying to reform the DRPA, but most significantly, orchestrated big wins in City Council races.  More than anyone, Johnny Doc has positioned himself to be kingmaker in deciding who the next Mayor of Philadelphia will be.

Best “It’s All About Me” Moment: City Council’s refusal to abolish the DROP retirement program for city employees — you know, the one that makes elected officials rich when they “retire” for a day after being re-elected.  So while the folks who actually foot the bill are struggling just to survive, city lawmakers keep cashing in at the public trough.  Often forgotten in the criticism, though, is Council’s stellar stewardship of Philadelphia. Its leadership has produced the highest rates of taxes, murder, violence, and poverty in the nation, an education system that, by all accounts, is a colossal failure, and a city that is perpetually ranked as one of the dirtiest.  But give ‘em a break.  We’re not Detroit. Yet.

Best “I Don’t Recall” Moment: No, it wasn’t a political corruption trial, but the just-revealed grand jury testimony of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua as he weaved his way around prosecutors’ pointed questioning regarding the ever- widening Church sex-scandal.  The Cardinal’s memory lapse was an oh-so-convenient backdoor for covering his own derriere and evading discussion about his role in the cover-up, leading the grand jury to label him as “untruthful” and “not forthright.” Church officials need to be reminded that sins of omission can be just as bad as sins of commission, and that ignoring the 8^th Commandment is not a prudent way to go through life. So much for always standing behind the kids….

Best Sports Move: Bringing Cliff Lee back. The Phils have been transformed from an organization that made the playoffs only three times in 26 years (and that’s with the wild card), to being perennial contenders. But being “very good” wasn’t good enough, so they brought back pitching Lee.  With Lee rounding out one of the best rotations in baseball history, the Fightin’s are fully expected to win the World Series, and that has them hanging out in hallowed Yankees territory, at least for the present.  Like the Bronx Bombers, the Phillies are now in the elite world where a season that culminates in anything less than total victory will be viewed as a failure. Tough as it will be to swallow if the Phils aren’t World Champions again, that expectation of perfection is rarely seen in any sport, and was nonexistent in Philly. Tip of the hat to the best — and only— sports braintrust in the city that has shown the resolve to do whatever it takes to win.

Best Thing About Philadelphia: Its people. It’s a blue-collar town, through and through, and that makes it as real as it gets. People wear their emotions on their sleeves, and it’s rare to not know where someone stands. Politics? Rough and tumble —- sometimes literally.  Sports fans? The most dedicated, if not always educated, in the country. Run out every play, and you’ll be a Philly Hall of Famer, but cop a ‘tude,  pout, dog it (no Vick pun intended) or just plain suck, and you’ll be run out of town on a rail.  Everyday people? Not nearly as rude as we like to think we are.

That salt-of-the-Earth, you-know-what-you’re-getting character is innately Philly, and, while maddening at times, is beyond refreshing in an increasingly shallow world. Yo Philly, don’t ever change.

Worst Of Philly

Worst Way To Earn A Living: Dealing with the dead.  Not funeral directors, coroners, and grave diggers (although all have been quite busy with skyrocketing murders). They all earn an honest living.  We’re talking about Michael Meehan, the city GOP boss and lawyer extraordinaire who gives the famous movie line “I see dead people” some real-life meaning.

Seems that a dearly-departed soul — a year after dying — retained Meehan as legal counsel to challenge the petitions of people running for Committee posts — in his own Party. Meehan didn’t fare much better with the living, as many of his other “clients” signed affadavits stating that they never met or heard of Meehan, and that the signatures in Meehan’s possession were not theirs.

The Philly GOP led by Meehan may be dead, but the criminal investigation into the matter by the District Attorney isn’t. And who said lawyers couldn’t get any lower?

Worst Sports Move: Yes, it was last year’s move, but it’s been so devastating that it bears repeating. Getting rid of Donovan McNabb.  Life is now so boring without Number 5 around.  Just look at all there is to miss: throwing up in the huddle during the Super Bowl, laughing jovially when his team was losing, not knowing the rules of overtime, making racially-charged comments where they had no place, and always connecting with his favorite receiver — the turf —when the game was on the line. Sports in Philly just aren’t the same anymore, especially with Michael Vick being so dog-gone….normal.  Without McNabb’s drama queen theatrics over which to obsess, Philadelphia is on the verge of becoming, dare we say it, a civilized sports city.  Bring him back!

Worst Empty Promise: Philly’s pension will be OK. Anytime a politician admits that something is bad, it’s always worse. So when the Mayor says the city’s pension fund is 45 percent funded (less than 50 percent is considered somewhat catastrophic), you know there just won’t be a happy ending. With no more state or federal money to bail out the virtually insolvent pension, and no possible way Nutter can keep his promise to write an $800 million check to the pension (to make up for several years of deferred payments), look for retirees to start getting pennies on the dollar in just a few short years. Think it can’t happen in America?  Given the fact that the nation came within hours of default — despite its magical power to print money out of thin air— can anyone seriously believe that?

Worst Thing About Philly: Its people. Or more accurately, the people’s complacency. What can you say about residents who, despite the knowledge that things are going the wrong way, time and again reelect the very same people who created the mess? Philadelphia has the potential to be a world-class city, with not one but two major rivers (neither developed). It is ideally situated within a day’s drive of more than half the country.  As a major gateway for overseas travelers, it should unquestionably be a destination rather than a layover stop.  And with major ports, railroads, airports and interstates, it be should a no-brainer for companies to locate their operations in Philadelphia. 

Philly’s stagnant position stems from a lack of leadership. It’s time for Philadelphians to wake up and demand that their city take its rightful place as one of very best. But that mantle simply can’t be claimed until the people show the will to make a change.

Given Mayor Nutter’s virtually guaranteed re-election, though, that may have to wait another four years.  How ‘bout them Phils?

Chris Friend is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

 Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris’ recent bestseller “Catastrophe.”

 Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

My “Freindly Fire” column, never mistaken for being fluffy or politically correct, routinely hammers hypocrites, frauds, and otherwise unsavory characters in politics, business, entertainment, and yes — the media. So when a reader recently inquired whom I respect, I gave it some thought. 

Since it was Easter week, I didn’t have to think too much, for a person came to mind whose courage is legendary and who has literally changed the world like no other.

While profiled extensively, it is not his brave heart that is the usual subject matter, but vitriolic attacks waged by those jealous of his professional success and threatened by his personal and religious convictions.

There is a saying that one’s worth can be judged by his enemies.  And given that Mel Gibson rankled the Hollywood elite like no other in history, beating them at their own game, he is definitely a man of high worth.

Gibson’s award-winning career has been a storied one.  He has reprised many roles defending persecuted people incapable of fighting for themselves, from Braveheart to The Patriot, where freedom was a central theme.  Freedom from tyranny and oppression, freedom from crime, freedom from fear. 

But most significantly, the message of Gibson’s premier work was freedom from eternal damnation.

The Passion of the Christ was one of the most successful movies in history, and the highest grossing non-English language film of all time. Yet if Hollywood had its way, it would have never been produced.

Despite the over two billion Christians in the world, which would seem like a pretty good target market for a movie that follows Jesus during his agonizing last hours, nobody in Tinsel Town wanted to touch Gibson’s idea. Not a whole lot in Hollywood makes sense, but that one takes the cake.

Walk away from a movie that any third-grader could have told you would make hundreds of millions right out of the gate?  If Hollywood is about one thing, it’s money.  While The Passion’s religious message is anathema to much of that town’s culture, one would have thought The Almighty Dollar would have been all the religion Hollywood would have needed.

But rather that quit, Gibson spent his own money —almost $50 million — to produce and market the film, and ended up distributing it himself along with a small company, since no major distributor wanted anything to do with film.

Can we say cowardice and religious bigotry?

But that was just the beginning. Gibson faced an onslaught of criticism from a small number of loud-mouthed whiners who wanted to see their names in the papers.  So, incredibly, they attacked Mel for not rewriting history to their liking, cavalierly throwing out charges of bigotry.  

Fact is, The Passion is an historically accurate masterpiece with absolutely no elements of bigotry, but once those types of charges are leveled, it’s difficult to forge ahead.

Gibson could have chosen the easy way out: he could have canceled the whole project, choosing to not place his money at risk.  He could have produced a politically correct movie by ignoring historical fact, thereby averting the disparaging attacks on him and his family (as his father, a dedicated family man who led an exemplary life, was also ruthlessly attacked without basis). He could have downplayed his conservative Catholicism and avoided the numerous questions about his personal beliefs.

He could have settled.  But he didn’t.

He didn’t make the film for money, since he already had plenty of it.  Nor did he do it for fame, since he was routinely listed as one of the world’s biggest superstars.

But rather than sell his soul like most in Hollywood, Gibson persevered.  And because of that, the greatest story of all time was re-told in the most realistic way anyone had ever seen. The sacrifice, the passion, the very idea of faith itself — all brought home to billions the world over. 

And certainly not just Christians benefitted from The Passion, since people of all religious faiths flocked to take heart in the film’s universal messages of redemption, forgiveness and hope. (So powerful was the film that it was censored in some countries and not distributed in others.  Makes one wonder what made those leaders fear so much).

The same attention-seekers who attacked Mel Gibson (and some continue to do so) will no doubt level charges that this column is defending a man who, years after the film, allegedly made anti-semetic and bigoted remarks. And they would be right. I am defending Mel Gibson the man, not his remarks.

Gibson spent a career defending principles that are incessantly under attack, and his most brilliant work rekindled the faith of billions in a way no church, no preacher, not even the Bible itself could duplicate.  Our world becomes more visual by the day, so The Passion, with portrayals that make the true passion story come to life more realistically than any other medium, takes its place in history as the movie that changed the world more than any other.

Has Gibson made mistakes?  Sure, and has admitted so and taken responsibility for them.  “I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality — period,” he recently told Deadline Hollywood.  Referring to comments made to an ex-girlfriend that were deliberately blown out of proportion by those wishing to bring down Gibson, he said they didn’t  “represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life.”

Should he be believed?  Given his history of character and conviction — rare in the world and virtually nonexistent in Hollywood — and the fact that many other celebrities are “forgiven” by the public for things a whole lot worse after making disingenuous apologies, absolutely.

The ultimate message of The Passion is redemption, and because of Mel Gibson’s courage, that message continues to resonate around the world. 

Gibson himself deserves nothing less.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

 Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris’ recent bestseller “Catastrophe.”

 Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

I’ve been listening to the ongoing debate about taxes and the federal budget.  I’m not listening to the politicians – all their statements are rehashes of political rhetoric that’s been debated for…well, God only knows how long.

Instead, I’ve been reading the comments on articles, seeing what people are posting on social media regarding speeches and articles, and listening to people talk about the budget debate.  The comments that I’m reading and listening to are not from the professional political class – but from “average” people, whatever that really means.  What I mean is that it’s from people who have an interest in politics, but haven’t ever done more than maybe volunteer on a campaign, or just complain.  All very interesting.  Right now I am coming away with a few observations.

Observation #1 – Wow, people can be cruel.  The ease with which people name call, or worse, those they disagree with is alarming.  The generalizations are amusing to read as well – from both the left and right.  They are practically the same comments, but directed at different people.  The total disregard for the fact that on the other end of a comment is another human being is amazing.  Do people just forget that there is an actual person they are directing their comments to, or do they do it willingly?  I’m guessing that because of the anonymity of the Internet, people just don’t think about the person they are commenting on.

Observation #2 – Simplistic arguments seem to be rampant.  I don’t necessarily believe this is a new thing though, it’s just so blatant right now.  Arguments like “if we raise taxes, more money will come in” are not well thought out.  The world doesn’t work in that way.  If you raise taxes, you encourage people to find ways to avoid paying taxes.  If you raise taxes, people have less money to invest, or give to charity – investments are used by businesses for research and development, hiring, expanding business, taking risks on new products and services, etc.  You end up with a stagnant economy, which produces less wealth and actually ends up reducing the tax revenue.  Charities do alot of the hard work of caring for those less fortunate in ways that a government program could never have success with – namely empowering people to grow and develop in such a way that they are eventually able to assist a neighbor.  They do this for far less, and usually with more success than a government program could.  The reality is that the world is complex – one action doesn’t have just one reaction, but usually several – some known and many unknown.  Why do we keep forgetting this?

Observation #3 – It’s amazing for me to hear how many people want someone else to pay for them.  “Tax the rich, they can afford it” is one argument I’ve been hearing.  Why?  Says who?  Why shouldn’t you pay for the services that you benefit from?  Why are you so entitled to receive without even the thought going through your mind that you should help pay for it?  Define rich.  Define afford.  Who makes these decisions?   Why are their definitions any better than mine?  Lots of questions, yet it seems there are so many people who feel so confident in their black and white answers.

Observation #4 – Very few people are willing to look at the real problem and talk about it.  What is this problem?  We are addicted to spending money – usually other people’s money.  We became so accustomed to abundance, that we went from being stewards of our resources and caring deeply for these resources to believing that abundance was the new normal and would always be the norm – that’s arrogance.   I don’t know what you want to call it – greed, sloth, pride, lust (over money), etc.  When our debt is as high as it is, and both political sides contributed to it, you could practically label it a sin.  In fact, that may not be far off.  There are the so-called seven deadly sins – deadly because when you go down the road with these sins, they only lead to death.  If we keep doing what we are doing, are we, as a nation falling into a deadly sin?

Observation #5 – There is a lot of fear.  People are afraid.  People are finger pointing.  People are lost.  They have been shaken out of a stupor they’ve been living in.  We lack people in positions of power who have any real vision.  I think people inherently know when they are leaderless.  Here’s the interesting thing I find – without a leader, there is a vacuum.  What an awesome time to be alive – Who is willing to step up and lead?   Who is willing to put their vision on the line?  Who is willing to be a responsible adult?  Not too many people.  The fact remains that it is far easier to sit back, complain, and finger point than it is to step forward, convey a vision, and make a decision.  The sad thing that I see in so many areas of life is that so many people in this nation were never taught how to make a decision.  They were taught to obey and comply.  Making a decision is taking a risk.  Making a decision invites opposition.  Making a decision puts your integrity on the line.  Making a decision usually requires some contemplation and thought.  It means being responsible for the outcome.  It means being willing to say “I was wrong” when you are wrong. It means adjusting plans when adjustments are needed.  Are we, and have we, done a disservice to well over a generation in not teaching them how to think and make a decision?  God help us if that is the case.

There are six theaters in Pennsylvania showing Atlas Shrugged…

…none of which are within a hundred miles of me.  But for those of you who live somewhere closer to civilization, it should be fun.

April 15th, of course.

Somehow I doubt this will help.

A Georgia-based company is taking over Philadelphia’s Tasty Baking Company.

Since Tasty’s profits went stale in the economic downturn, along with the roughly $100-million debt to build and move into its new plant in the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, a larger competitor, Flowers Foods has been mentioned as a suitor.

The Flowers statement calls it a “definitive merger agreement” whereby Flowers will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Tasty common stock for $4.00 a share, for a total purchase price of about $165-million. That includes the debt Tasty has taken on.

Industry observers believe it’ll strengthen Flowers’ snack cake business through the addition of the iconic Tasty cake brand, and expand the company’s geographic reach.

Talk about a political football. At a time when most municipalities are running in the red, another line item must now be factored into budgets: new history textbooks.

That’s right.  It turns out that the real reason for fighting the Civil War was the North’s desire to steal the incredible wealth of the slaves. Apparently, despite subjugation by their owners, the majority of slaves were millionaires, and those who weren’t still received a guaranteed minimum of $310,000 per year.

Shocking as this recent historical find seems, it was certified by Minnesota running back Adrian Petersen, and as we all know, anything a National Football League (NFL) player says must be true. Petersen’s plethora of antebellum knowledge was revealed as he enlightened the nation by comparing the NFL labor dispute to “modern-day slavery.”

At issue is how to divvy up $9 billion in revenue between owners and players.  Talks have broken off and management has locked out the players.

Summing up how the players were being treated during the negotiations, Peterson said, “It’s modern-day slavery, you know?”

He added, “People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too.”

That brilliant Petersen Principle, though, remains a bit unclear. Were those “regular” people — those not involved in the NFL negotiations — average Americans who will work the first four months of this year just to pay their local, state and federal tax burden? As in, a “slave” to the government?  A government, by the way, that “regular” Americans send more money to than they spend on food, clothing and shelter combined.

Or was Petersen’s defense of regular people referring to the poor and disadvantaged NFL saps who only make seven figures a year, compared to Petersen’s $10.5 million, and whose six-year contract is worth almost $41 million?  And for those making the League minimum of $310,000, well, they should probably pick cotton in the off-season just to make ends meet.

It must be tough being an NFL slave.

*****

The Petersen case underscores just how hypocritical some “leaders” have become regarding race relations.  As a result, we aren’t the color-blind country we should be, but instead see the gulf between black and white only widen.

Take the pathetic defense of Petersen’s remarks from his agent Ben Dogra (who obviously has a financial interest in seeing this flap go away). Rather than condemn the statement for what it was, he defends it with meaningless rhetoric. “I think anybody that knows Adrian knows that (he) is a very strong-willed and passionate individual,” Dogra said. “The game means an awful lot to him.”

Gee, thanks for clearing that up, Ben. In other words, because he makes eight figures a year and is “passionate,” it’s okay to equate his situation to slavery, which, by the way, is still rampant in parts of the world.

But it gets better: “People should not just take his statements per se word by word. It’s a difficult time. He would love to play. I’m sure that everybody would love to see football continue in the NFL… nobody should really look at those words and take them out of context.”

Nice try, Ben.  But how exactly are they “out of context?”   He compared his situation to slavery.  That’s a fact.  It wasn’t a slip of the tongue, and there’s no gray area here. His “passion” and “love of the game,” while admirable, have absolutely nothing to do with his racist remarks. He shouldn’t get a free pass for outrageously disrespecting the misery that slaves in America endured.  A life, by the way, that they couldn’t walk away from, unlike Petersen, who at 25, could quit his work today and live comfortably for five lifetimes.

But he has been given a free pass.  And that is the real — and wholly unreported — story.

Adrian Petersen will come and go.  He’ll probably make some half-hearted apology written by PR specialists and appear at events to make him seem more racially-sensitive (although he has yet to do so).  And he’ll dazzle on the gridiron for seasons to come (especially if he learns to stop fumbling).  But in the big picture, Petersen is irrelevant.

No, the biggest frauds of all need to be exposed.  Through the whole flap, nary a peep was heard from the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world. And where was that bastion of cowardice, the NAACP?

Conspicuously silent, but what else is new?

And this is precisely why they  have no credibility left.  Condemning racism of all kinds and promoting equality should be their goals, but instead, it’s the polar opposite.  To them, separate and unequal trumps unity, and the condemnation of racism is done on an extremely selective basis. Translation: jump on the bandwagon in cases involving a “racist” white person, but go on vacation when the person is black.

The list of being on the wrong side is long: the Duke lacrosse team falsely accused (who were innocent), the Tawana Brawley case which Sharpton enflamed with racial rhetoric (where rape allegations by white men of a black girl were proven false), the ridiculous firing of Don Imus, and the Jena Six case in Louisiana, when Jackson reportedly ripped then- presidential candidate Barack Obama for “acting like he’s white.”

But when a situation like that of Adrian Petersen comes along, providing a perfect opportunity to explain why slavery comparisons are so hurtful and destructive, their silence is deafening.  And their credibility, whatever is left of it, crumbles.

The conversation at kitchen tables and watercoolers around the nation is that Jackson and Sharpton are worthless, and the NAACP promotes racism far more than it fights it. But fear of being labelled racist and bigoted keeps most people — and most media commentators — from taking on these hypocrites, and speaking the truth.

Racism still exists in America, albeit to an infinitely smaller degree than it once was.  Perhaps the greatest example of that progress was illustrated when a black President — itself a remarkable feat — gave the eulogy of Senator Robert Byrd, a former member of the KKK. 

Unfortunately, that progress has come in spite of, not because of, people like Sharpton and Jackson.  But there is a silver lining. Their blowhard political grandstanding and blatant hypocrisy have become such trademarks that they not only lack credibility, but more important, relevance. No one cares what they have to say anymore because their platforms have been built on a house of cards.

The biggest tragedy of all is that, had these men — dynamic orators of great charisma — truly fought the good fight, America’s racial divide would be measurably smaller.

What a shame.  Leaders who preach color-blindness but really only see black-and-white…are a terrible thing to waste.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris’ recent bestseller “Catastrophe.”

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

It’s a whoopie-pie arms race.

The war over whoopie pies between Pennsylvania and Maine has been taken to another level, after enthusiasts in Maine made one Saturday that weighed more than 1,000 pounds in an attempt to help cement the treat as the official state dessert. But, the war over whoopie pies will continue.

Lovers of the sweet treat want to defend it as a prize of Pennsylvania. Jim Chudovsky, general manager of Bird-In-Hand bakery in Lancaster County, says he’s heard of recipes nearly 100 years old.” I’ve heard some reports that people have some recipes that date back to the 1920s.”

I think it’s time for Governor Corbett to send the Pa National Guard. We should take a few lobsters and flannel shirts hostage.

Mysteriously, the article includes a picture of a regular pie crust. What auslander wrote that article?

The Patriot-News has the story.

Alito was right.

In addition to Justice Alito’s eloquent dissent in the Snyder v. Phelps case (PDF – Alito dissent pg. 23), I’d like to point out that aside from issues surrounding Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, the Westboro “Baptist Church” demonstrators are disrupting the religious rights of the families holding funeral services.

There is no religious ceremony more universally sacred than a funeral.  Funerals must by necessity be conducted outdoors and in public in the vast majority of circumstances.  Families can not avoid these scum, and can take no action that could possibly satisfy and disperse the picketers.  Families cannot merely postpone services or move the services without incurring great expense.

The Phelps clan is denying families their one and only chance to bury their children in a solemn and holy manner.

This can not stand.

Do your part Pennsylvania….

As you may know, the state of Maine is attempting to claim the whoopie pie as its official treat. Like you, we here in Lancaster County are shocked – shocked, I tell you – at this act of confectionary larceny, and we need your help.

Whoopie pies are a long-standing part of our Amish and Pennsylvania German culture, with origins that go far beyond any written records. Help us preserve a delicious Lancaster County culinary tradition and Save Our Whoopie by digitally signing the petition below objecting to any other state, county, or town claiming the Whoopie Pie as its own.

Anyone ever seen an Amish buggy pull a tractor trailer out of the snow?

Now you have.