More On Vandalism

Spent the other night with the police, again. Someone took a half a dozen shots at our townhouse... good thing it was only a paintball gun. It cleans easy - so just another hassle.

In the mean time, the Brownsville Neighborhood Watch Program is working around the clock. I got a call from the good folks there about dog poop at the rental property. Like I need a voice message to let me know... I already stepped in it cutting the grass.

The drug dealer to dog poop ratio in Brownsville is probably 12 to 1. If we can keep the place a little cleaner, maybe we can boost that to 25 to 1. That's 25 drug dealers to every poop pile.

Hopkins has Record Breaking Write-ins

Unofficial counts put Greg Hopkins over the 2,000 mark for write-ins on the Democratic ticket. An unbelievable and record breaking number of write-in votes. Congratulations Greg and Team Hopkins and all the best for the fall!

Vandalism and Arson Update

I heard this morning that the damage to the Flatiron Building is around $5000. The good news is that two teens were apprehended. They were seen in and around the area shortly after the damage to the building.

The bad news is that one of them has a long history of vandalism, robbery and assault... and the police and/or the court system seem to exhibit leniency.

Also heard that both fires mentioned in earlier posts were definitely ruled arson. About 30 minutes after the house fire that endangered a family of seven, a young man showed up at a local hospital with burns on his face from an accelerant. It is not clear if he or anyone is a suspect.

The Flatiron Building

One of the few bright spots in Brownsville is The Flatiron Building; a renovated historic structure in "downtown" that houses a heritage center, art gallery, meeting rooms and offices.

Last night vandals broke at least six windows along the front of the building. We hope they are apprehended. If you would like to make a donation to support the heritage center or the good work of the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation, please follow the link above (it also provides more history and pictures of Brownsville).

Obama Regrets PA

Definitions of regret on the Web:

• repent: feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
• feel sad about the loss or absence of
• decline formally or politely; "I regret I can't come to the party"
• sorrow: sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment; "he drank to drown his sorrows"; "he wrote a note expressing his regret"; "to his rue, the error cost him the game"
• be sorry; "I regret to say that you did not gain admission to Harvard"

He says he didn't choose his words well, but "I said something that everybody knows is true."

"Obviously, if I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that," he told the Winston-Salem Journal of North Carolina.

Campaigning in Muncie, Ind., Obama called the controversy interesting.

"Lately there has been a little typical sort of political flare-up, because I said something that everybody knows is true, which is that there are a whole bunch of folks in small towns in Pennsylvania, in towns right here in Indiana, in my hometown in Illinois, who are bitter," Obama told the crowd.

Well... of course, there are people that are bitter. The offensive part of Obama's full statement is the implication that its the bitter people who "cling to guns or religion or antipathy..."

Obama is doing a good job of using the choice words of a politician... "I mis-spoke... I regret..." but never "I was wrong... I'm sorry... I apologize..." The Clinton's have mastered the language and Hillary is doing an absolutely brilliant job of capitalizing on Obama's mis-steps. At the same time, Obama continues to dig himself into a hole.

Many have called Obama's statement "elitist".

"Sen. Obama's remarks are elitist and they are out of touch," she [Clinton] told a crowd in Indianapolis.

But what I find most offensive is the implication from Senator Obama that (1) government can save people and (2) religion has failed. At best, I call that Socialist.

And now, I didn't say it as well as I should have, because you know the truth is that these traditions that are passed on from generation to generation, those are important." [Obama]

Just Another Bitter Small Town in PA

Here we are in Brownsville clinging to guns and religion with the audacity of despair. Save us Obama.

In case you missed Obama's quote from a San Francisco fund raiser...

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them…And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

For an insightful commentary.

Greg Hopkins for 50th District State Representative

Southwest PA has a real opportunity to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of all Pennsylvanians this year. We are strongly endorsing Greg Hopkins for our State Representative in the 50th District.

Greg represents an opportunity for true reform in the PA legislature in open records, tax law, and government spending.

Greg will provide greater transparency, accountability and results.

He is a man of character and integrity and has strong moral stances in his pro-life beliefs and anti-gambling position.

I strongly encourage you to vote for Greg is this upcoming election.

In fact, if you are registered Democrat. I strongly encourage you to write-in Greg Hopkins on the Democratic ticket on April 22.

Join "VOTE GREG HOPKINS" on FACEBOOK

For more information on Greg, visit his website.

For my posts on Greg's opponent, Bill DeWeese, click here.