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State Rep Mike Vereb plans to introduce legislation to strengthen Sunshine Act violations, upping the penalties to include jail time for violations. The Times Herald’s 007 Jenny DeHuff has the story:

News in recent weeks has revealed a troubling reality for some lawmakers — that the act has no teeth, giving way to disregard and even abuse by politicians.

Vereb admitted the now-public breakfast meetings between Montgomery County commissioners Jim Matthews and Joe Hoeffel were not the first revelation to bring this matter to his attention.

“I frankly think that when crooks steal, they go to jail,” said Vereb. “If politicians violate the Sunshine law and knowingly deceive the public with some type of a vote based on an illegal meeting, then I think they should be incarcerated. Guess what? The people keep fighting for it, and you better start listening and not just get a $100 fine.”

No word if Vereb’s proposed legislation will increase or decrease penalties if violations of the Sunshine Act include printed agendas.

Jack Posobiec and I join Barry Papiernik this moring to talk about the big stories of the year, both local and national. Tune in to WFYL 1180 AM from 10AM to 11AM this morning to recap 2010 with us.

And a very Happy New Year to all!

Live streaming HERE.

It seems the closer one resides to Norristown, the less one hears about the David Manilla case, the case of the tragic hunting death of Barry Groh that happened just over the Montco border in Bucks County. Other than the victim, the story is almost entirely populated by well-known Norristown lawyers and is presumably of interest to the Norristown community. Not that there hasn’t been news coverage; oh heavens no. It’s just that the coverage has been somewhat…thin.

For readers who may have understandably missed this story, the Journal Register News Service, which is the only coverage available in the local Journal Register newspapers, sums up the story so far thusly:

The preliminary hearing for David Manilla, the Worcester attorney charged with killing a Quakertown hunter on the opening day of deer season last month, is scheduled for Jan. 31.

Manilla was relased on Dec. 23, when his mother paid 10 percent of his $2 million bail, according to court reports.

Manilla, 49, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Nov. 29 shooting death of hunter Barry Groh. He also faces multiple weapons and hunting violations.

Manilla allegedly shot Groh with an illegal high-powered rifle; he told authorities he thought he was shooting at a deer.

Manilla’s uncle, former Montgomery County District Attorney Michael Marino, was hunting with his nephew when Groh was shot, according to court records.

Marino faces no criminal charges.

On Dec. 17, at a press conference after Manilla’s arraignment, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said that Manilla committed “a reckless act” when he shot and killed 52-year-old Groh.

Heckler said that after the shooting Manilla “engaged in a cowardly effort to evade and escape responsibility for his criminal acts.”

According to court records, Manilla fired the fatal shot from about 88 yards away.

While this is is quite a good summary of the local coverage so far, you can invest another ten minutes to read the comprehensive local coverage here, here, here and here.

Now one thing we would certainly never do here at PAWatercooler is engage in conjecture or innuendo, however, a simple Google search reveals some facts that have been missing from the local newspapers available to those of us who live in close proximity to the Montgomery County Seat.

For instance, missing from the local coverage is this rather material story from the December 23 Allentown Morning Call:

According to online court records, Manilla earlier this month sold four properties in Montgomery and Bucks counties. Two of the Montgomery County properties were sold to his mother, Vivian Manilla, for $1.

A third Montgomery County property was sold for $1 to Honor Manilla. Her relationship to David Manilla is unclear. According to public records, Honor Manilla is a podiatrist whose practice shares the same address as David Manilla’s home at 2060 Valley Forge Road, Worcester.

On Dec. 8, Manilla sold his Richland property to PPL, according to a company spokesman. The 88-acre property at 1155 California Road is where Groh was shot and killed.

Manilla had been in negotiations since June to sell the property for a power line route, said Paul Wirth, PPL senior manager of communications.

Wirth declined to comment on how much the sale was for, but said published reports of a $1.45 million sale “were not incorrect.” A representative with the Bucks County Recorder of Deeds office could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Channel 69 WFMZ News adds:

All transactions happened after Groh’s death but before Manilla’s December 17th arrest.

“[There's] nothing illegal about selling property, especially if planned a long time ago,” says Allentown lawyer Stephen Zamborsky.

PPL tells 69 News its deal had been in the works since June.

Zamborsky says if someone is shown to be liable either in a criminal case or civil case and the courts could freeze any assets, including those recently sold and put them into a trust at their assessed value.

“If it can be shown they started to engage in course of conduct and that happened immediately after the incident occurred. Then the selling of that property is not going to pass the smell test,” Zamborsky states.

He says it doesn’t matter who the properties were sold too. If fraud is suspected the courts can take control.

Bucks County Prosecutors released an affadavit to lehighvalleylive.com on December 17. Among the facts in the affadavit that have not been reported in the local coverage:

When Manilla turned over the rifle in question, the barrel had been “plugged” with dirt. The rest of the rifle, especially the outside of the barrel where the “dirt plug” was observed, was otherwise clean.

The rifle in question had a broken scope on it; Manilla maintains he did not drop his rifle during hunting and “expressed surprise when asked how the scope of the rifle had been broken.”

“According to Manilla, no one else had possession of the rifle between Monday and the time he turned it over to detectives on December 1, 2010. Manilla did not offer any explanation as to how the plug of dirt had gotten into the barrel of his .30-06 rifle.”

Prior to calling 911, Manilla fired a shot from his shotgun into the ground, presumably because he knew that it was illegal to hunt with the rifle in Bucks County. Manilla told investigators “if the game warden had asked what was fired, I was going to show them the shotgun.”

[Firearms examiner, Montgomery County] Detective [John] Finor stated that in his training and experience when a rifle is utilized properly the “shooter’ must aim at their selected target by looking down the top of the weapon through the rear sight blade and lining up the front sight (at the tip of the barrel) in the center of the rear sight blade. The sights are then lined up on the target. Detective Finor stated that in his expert opinion this particular weapon, in the condition it was in at the time of his examination, could not be aimed properly or fired accurately utilizing the iron sights as David Manilla had previously described in his statement to Affiant Potts, since the rear sight blade was missing from the gun.

On Friday December 10, 2010, detectives interviewed Barbara Fletcher at her attorney’s office. According to David Manilla, Barbara Fletcher is his longtime girlfriend. Following the interview, Barbara Fletcher turned over to detectives, a Remington bolt action rifle, serial number T6254490, with a black synthetic sling, a black rifle case, and a box of ammunition. Fletcher advised that at the request of David Manilla, she retrieved the rifle and ammunition from the Manilla farm at 1155 California Road on Sunday December 5, 2010. After the shooting at the farm, Manilla told Fletcher to go to the farm to collect the rifle, and told her where she could find the rifle in one of the outbuildings. This rifle was not the weapon used by Manilla on November 29, 2010. Fletcher advised that the gun was hers, and that she was not aware that it was being kept at the Manilla Farm. Detectives also inspected a cache of 68 weapons (rifles and shotguns) that were stored in the attic of Fletcher’s residence. Fletcher was unable to identify eighteen of these rifles as belonging to her, advising that they were Manilla’s.

You can read the complete affadavit here.

In the interests of keeping the public informed about this developing story, your intrepid bloggress, without the benefit of a reporter in the Bucks County Courhouse, will continue to utilize the vast resources of the internet and her trusty laptop to continue to bring updates to the good people of Norristown and it’s surrounds. If you spot a story that you think needs to be highlighted, please feel free to contact me at lisamossie@yahoo.com.

It’s that time of year again when Freindly Fire heaps praise upon those most deserving. You probably aren’t going to find these winners on the lists of typical media outlets, most of which bow at the altar of political correctness.

The Biggest Winner of 2010, as is the case every year, goes to none other than illegal invaders, all 20 million of them. Year after year, they continue to win everything. They are handed driver’s licenses, free education – in some cases all the way to college – and free first-rate health care. Most appallingly, their freedom exists because of our government’s non-existent efforts to deport them. Their presence has forced the closure of hospitals, taken jobs from American workers, depressed wages and caused taxes to sharply increase. And let’s not forget that many illegals are voting in our elections. How’s that for irony: foreigners deciding American elections. And every time the illegals win, there is an even bigger loser. Us.

Michael Vick and the Canine Community

As quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, Vick has played spectacularly well, good enough to hide the team’s considerable shortcomings and earn the Birds the Division crown.  He is often mentioned as a leading MVP candidate, and many experts predict he will lead his team to the Super Bowl.

Which is all an unexpected pleasure, given that Vick was in jail not that long ago for executing losing canines in his dog-fighting operation. Given a reprieve by the League, he was the Eagle’s third-string QB last season, and he started this one as the backup.  He got his shot though, and, made the most of it.  Perhaps most noteworthy, he never used his numerous injuries as a crutch when the team lost, and has demonstrated more leadership in one season than former-quarterback Donovan McNabb showed in his entire, lackluster career.

Is Vick truly remorseful about the dog killing, or sorry only that he got caught? Tough to say, but second chances are what America is all about, and, for the most part, he has kept himself out of trouble.  With dogs everywhere breathing easier (actually, breathing at all), and Vick on the right track, he is definitely the most unexpected winner this year.

Governor Ed Rendell

Ok, not really.  Rendell’s eight-year tax-and-spend agenda, combined with widespread conflicts of interest throughout his Administration (some say pay-to-play) has driven Pennsylvania off the financial cliff, leaving a $5 billion deficit debacle for incoming Governor Tom Corbett to fix. And it’s been three years and counting since his promised interview with “Freindly Fire” — making that the only media entity with which he refuses to speak.  I wonder why.

But fair is fair, and Rendell could not have been more correct when he hammered the NFL for canceling the Sunday night football game in Philadelphia because of a snowstorm.  Not a two-foot storm of the century, mind you, but an 8 inch “weather event” that would have made an outdoor football game one to remember. The roads were drivable, subway trains were operational, and the fans would have shown up in force — loving every minute of it.  They do it in other places just fine — Green Bay, Chicago and New England, to name a few.  But now, Philadelphians are officially considered pansies.

The reality is that the League saw an opportunity to test market Tuesday Night Football.  As with most things, the decision was rooted in money.  But it was done so at the expense of the last real sport in America, where players gut it out with broken bones instead of running to the disabled list because of a hangnail.  In many ways, the game’s cancellation reflects what America has become: soft and wimpy, offended by everything and decisive in nothing. It’s how we run business, operate government, wage war, and yes, play football. The pioneering, tough-as-nails spirit that made us unique is all but gone.

Rendell labeled the NFL’s action the “wussification” of America.  Wrong first letter, Guv.

Congressman Joe Sestak

True, Sestak lost his bid for United States Senate, but he was unique among politicians. Here’s a guy who gave up the job security of a 100 per cent safe congressional seat to take on 30-year incumbent and Goliath of the Senate, Arlen Specter, in a long-shot bid. The entire Democratic Party power structure was against him, from Rendell to President Obama, thus ensuring very limited campaign money.  Yet he persisted in his mission, even turning down a reported job offer from the White House. And a funny thing happened along the way: he won the primary election.

But the more admirable trait of Sestak was that he never backed down from his core convictions.  Whether or not one agreed with him, he should be respected for standing his ground and not playing both sides or “moving to the middle” to appease the pundits. 

For any pol…

Read the rest at FreindlyFireZone.com and post a comment!

http://www.freindlyfirezone.com/index.php/national-news/item/121-freindly-fire’s-biggest-winners-of-2010

Look for Freindly Fire’s “Biggest Losers of 2010″ column next week

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 nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a guest commentator on Philadelphia-area talk radio shows, and makes numerous other television and radio appearances, most notably on FOX.  He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

Barack Obama has a habit of weighing in on exactly the wrong social issues in exactly the wrong way. Last week, the President placed a call to Iggles owner Jeffrey Lurie to congratulate him on the environmental upgrades he’s making to the Linc(yes, more needs to be said here about this greenie weenie idiocy, but we’ll save that for another day). In the course of that conversation, Obama also congratulated Lurie for giving a second chance to a convicted felon, Michael Vick, who, apparently did not “act stupidly” when killing and torturing dogs. From the Inky’s contribution to the media uproar:

Peter King, a reporter for Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, posted on Monday night: “Yes, Obama called Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to praise the Eagles for giving Vick a chance. Said too many prisoners never get fair 2d chance.”

It’s unclear exactly when Obama called (Lurie has not said, and neither the Eagles nor Vick had further comments as of Wednesday), or what his main subject was. King’s tweet suggests it was Vick-related praise; White House spokesman Bill Burton, seeking to plug the dike, said talk also concerned plans for windmills, solar panels, and other green-energy measures at Lincoln Financial Field.

Burton also said Obama “of course condemns the crimes that Michael Vick was convicted of, but, as he’s said previously, he does think that individuals who have paid for their crimes should have an opportunity to contribute to society again.”

Enter a has-been conservative, a man whose career has arguably had more second chances than Michael Vick, to notch up the hyperboyle. Tucker Carlson, filling in for Sean Hannity during one of the slowest news weeks of the year, took this opportunity to regain relevancy:

Fox News spent much of Tuesday on Vick/Obama, and on Tuesday night, the big blast came. Commentator Tucker Carlson, filling in for Sean Hannity, said: “I’m a Christian, I’ve made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances. But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a heartless and cruel way. I think, personally, he should have been executed for that.”

When Michael Vick came to Philly, I wrote a blog post in support of him. My feelings then and now are that the man did his time and paid for his crime. This, coupled with my beliefs that our society has a tendency to elevate the value animals and chilllldruuuun as morally and socially superior to any given adult and the that our society also has a tendency to place a bit too much value on professional athletes, both in compensation and social relevance as role models, my basic stance was that the noise over Vick was another instance of overblown hyperventilation. This led to a heated exchange between myself and another conservative blogger for whom I have the greatest respect. Needless to say, neither of us changed the other’s mind and all that was accomplished was generation of needless animosity, which for my part, I regret.

Two years hence, Micheal Vick seems, to me, the casual observer, a humble and properly rehabilitated felon who is tremendously talented and has led the Eagles to a remarkable season. I’m sure there are those who disagree with that assessment. However, in a town like Philly, it should be noted that much will be forgiven if Vick can bring home a Super Bowl ring (there are, after all, actually Eagles Jerseys for dogs with Vick’s name and number on the back.)

It needs to be said that a good bit of animosity towards Vick still remains, as is evidenced by the latest circle of idiocy. Liberal animal lovers find themselves in conflict with their Messiah, who endorsed the dog torturer, and in horrified agreement with Faux News righty tool Tucker Carlson, who called for Vick’s execution. Some conservatives find themselves distancing themselves from righty tool Tucker Carlson and in agreement with the bane of their existence, Barack Obama.

Only for conservative animal lovers, like my friend Steve, is all right with the world.

When working to find the elusive serial killer in Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter famously challenged Clarice Starling:

First principles, Clarice. Simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature? What does he do, this man you seek?

The first principle of Joe Hoeffel is that Joe Hoeffel runs for office. Always and for any available office. Asking Joe NOT to run for office would be like asking him not to breathe. CBS3 reports of a brewing civil war within the Montgomery County Democratic Party:

Usually, you expect Republican wars in Montgomery County, but this is a different time. The county’s Democratic Chief Marcel Groen has urged Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel (pictured) not to run next year.

Hoeffel told us late yesterday that he has every intention to run and to unite the party, indicating that Groen just wants more control on the commission.

Reports have also surfaced that fast-rising State Representative Josh Shapiro would run in Hoeffel’s place, but Shapiro says there is no way he would run if Hoeffel is on the ballot. If Hoeffel backs away from running, Shapiro would get in.

Interesting that Marcel Groen does not seem to think that there is enough room on the two-candidate Montco Commissioner ticket for both Shapiro and Hoeffel. And after pushing through all of that critical economic development, too.

Grover Norquist in The American Spectator lays out “The Road to 60” Senate seats.  His word on Senator Casey:

Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey Jr. must run facing an electorate that largely elected him on the false promise that he would represent his father’s moderation and pro-life views. Casey was the key vote allowing federal funding for abortion on demand in ObamaCare.

Rendell Eagles Rant Makes National News: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Ed Rendell called the cancellation of a football game the continuing “wussification” of America and lamented the fact that Americans can’t think for themselves anymore. This from a leader in the Wussification of America Movement AKA the Democratic Party.

The DN’s reliably liberal Will Bunch had this to say:

Ultimately, life is all about risk management, and the reward of football in the snow – so often a beautiful thing – means that thousands of fans, not to mention the players and coaches who seem disappointed and befuddled by this decision, were willing to take a few risks to see it. You know, a term that gets used a lot in the great political debate – overused, in my opinion – is whether America has become “a nanny state.” Usually I’m on the other side (like when it comes to health care, in which . . . oh, never mind), but in this case I think here it’s perfectly OK to channel your Inner Rush Limbaugh and say that “the nanny state” killed this football game.

If we’re not “a nanny state,” then we’ve become a nation of overcautious risk managers, also known as wimps. They don’t play American football in China, but I believe that if they did, not only would they have played this game, but 300,000 fans would have marched barefoot through the drifts for 15 miles to get to the stadium, drilling each other with advanced calculus problems as they walked.

In a few years, they’ll come here and conquer what’s left of America while we huddle on our TV-room couches to keep safe and warm, watching “A Christmas Story” on TBS for the ninth time after a forecast of flurries has canceled the entire NFL schedule.

Funny how liberals usually regard remarks to “man up” as the height of knuckle dragging insensitivity uttered by Neanderthal conservatives. Until it comes to watching the Iggles in a heated club box seat or from the comfort of one’s living room with fridge full of Bud Light. Then we are a nation of wussies.

On this Morning’s edition of “Mondays with Mossie”, Barry and I are joined by political activist extraordinaire Jack Posobiec. We talk about Arlen Specter’s rather ungracious farewell and why this perpetual political stalwart has finally outlived his usefulness in 2010. As usual, we also kick around a little Montco business.

Tune in between 10 AM and 11 AM on WFYL 1180 AM. If you miss a day, you miss a lot.

Live streaming HERE.

As I’m finally in front of my own computer,…

I raise a shotglass full of Maalox and say:

I hope everyone at PaWC had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. May all of you have received what gifts your hearts desired and may you have spent the day with friends and family, in whatever form that may take!

God bless and here’s hoping for a healthy, happy and safely conservative 2011 for everyone!