Why Isn't The American Flag More Important?

Why is it that the only thing protected from free speech is showing the prophet Muhammad on television?

A constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the American Flag died in the Senate yesterday but ONE vote.

What is needed? Perhaps we need savages tearing apart the landscape whenever someone lights up the flag on television?

Earlier this year, creators of the South Park cartoon angrily responded to not being able to depict Muhammad at all on television by lampooning the President, the American Flag and Jesus Christ in vile ways. While initially angered myself, I stepped back and saw what Trey Parker and Matt Stone were doing. They were expressing the free speech they deemed necessary for not being able to take their usual shots at a prominent figure.

If everyone had gold, it would no longer be valuable. To paraphrase the villain in “The Incredibles,” if everyone had super powers, no one would be super. If everything is allowed to be burned, defecated on or otherwise defouled, nothing would be important.

The American Flag is important. Old Glory is just as important to Americans as Muhammad is to extremist Muslims, if not more. As far as I know, no one has gone on a mass killing spree because some clueless alternative rocker took a cigarette lighter to the Stars and Stripes. That means even our debates include value to human life.

Something besides Muhammad has to be untouchable.

The American Flag is the most important symbol Americans have. It must be protected. Anyone who voted against the measure just doesn’t “get it.”

Pittsburgh Needs A Revolutionary Bishop

I've submitted the following letter to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review; however, I doubt if they will use it. I did not submit the name of my candidate, nor will I here because he is a personal friend of mine and I have yet to hear his comments regarding my "push." He doesn't check his emails often so I don't expect to hear from him until August. LOL!

Below is my letter:

Bishop Donald Wuerl has left his hometown of Pittsburgh for Washington, D.C. The post looks to be a promotion because of it is a higher profile in our nation’s capital. In actually, the constituency is much smaller.

The Pittsburgh diocese is at a cross roads. As reporter Craig Smith notes in his June 22 article (Challenges await Wuerl’s successor), our churches have trouble filling pews and our Catholics are either changing religions, or most appropriately, abandoning organized faith altogether.

At least eight different candidates were recently suggested. All of those mentioned in the article are accomplished; however, none seem to be a revolutionary pick for Pittsburgh. All but one are 56 or older.

What is needed in Pittsburgh is a young voice. Pittsburgh deserves a bishop who not only provides a young face, but a leader who espouses vitality, optimism and energy. The new Bishop needs to be from Western Pennsylvania. He needs to be young. He needs to be someone who can make Catholics from around the country stand up and take notice.

When Karol Jozef Wojtyla was appointed the 264th Pope on October, 16, 1978, he was seen as a "Rock Star" of sort, an impossibly young Pope who was outdoorsy and the leader of youth.

Roman Catholic churches and schools are closing all over Pittsburgh. Appointing a new Bishop who is incapable of relating to young people and families would be a grave injustice for Catholics. And such a choice would be unremarkable.

The diocese and those in leadership in Pittsburgh need to do something remarkable. They need to "lead" by doing something "out of the box."

The diocese needs to pick a bishop who is 45 or younger; someone who can serve for 20 years in Pittsburgh and make a “real” difference.

A new Bishop in Pittsburgh would need to be no-nonsense when it comes to scandals and controversies. And he would need to be able to serve for an undetermined, indefinite period of time.

Pittsburgh needs someone with the personality and people skills to lead and hopefully "grow" the faith in Pittsburgh.

Carlisle Petition Probably Won't Go Anywhere

From our friends at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, it looks like city Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle will continue to remain in the news. For those of you outside of the Steel City, Ms. Carlisle has dolled out nearly $200,000 in city funds to consultants, some of whom seem to be just friends and extended family members. While the petition and resulting actions are admirable, Ms. Carlisle will ultimately be judged by her peers. And many of them don't want their spending to be put under a microscope, so they'll never throw her to the curb. Don't know if any of the organizers of the petition are Republicans, but they must nonetheless be admired for their courage.

Jeremy Boren's story is pasted below.

Impeachment petition filed against Carlisle

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, June 20, 2006

East End residents filed a petition with 40 signatures this morning that seeks to begin impeachment proceedings against City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle, who is being investigated by county prosecutors regarding taxpayer-funded payments she authorized to at least 23 outside consultants.
Pittsburgh's City Code says 20 signatures from residents of a council member's district are required to begin impeachment proceedings. If the signatures are valid, a judge could appoint a "citizen investigating committee" to review the case against Carlisle and issue a report. City Council could be given a chance to review the citizen committee's report, according to the City Code.
"We don't think there's a snowball's chance that she'll be impeached," said Phillip Martin, of Homewood, who gathered the signatures with Ora Lee Carroll, executive director of the East Liberty Concerned Citizens Crop. and submitted the petition to the Allegheny County Prothonotary's office at 9:30 a.m. "They'll never impeach one of their own," Martin said of the City Council. "We just want an investigation. We want to show people how they can use the system."
Martin and Carroll plan to submit copies to Carlisle and the Court of Common Pleas president later today.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is investigating about $177,000 in payments Carlisle authorized between 2002 and 2006 to consultants from two taxpayer-fed discretionary accounts that council members are permitted to use. Carlisle had personal and political connections to some of the consultants.
Council passed new rules this month that restrict such spending as a result of the investigation into Carlisle's spending.

Pittsburgh Republicans Looking For Ethics Board Candidates

Since the O'Connor administration in January, the Republican Committee of Pittsburgh has been among the leaders in asking for the new Mayor to re-establish the long-dormant Ethics Board.

Then, councilwoman Twanda Carlisle was caught funneling large amounts of city money to friends for projects that are at the very least somewhat dubious. Paramount was a "councilmatic" health and religious study of her district. The study was vastly bloated with statistics and work provided by other reports. In fact, beside a two-cents worth of opinion, the study was nearly stolen from non-diploma-mill doctors. Investigators say these allocations were legal. There isn't an Ethics Board to review whether or not it "should" have been done.

There have been other allocations from other council members as well. Now, city councilman Bill Peduto, the closest thing fiscal conservatives have to "one of their own" on Pittsburgh council, has introduced legislation aimed at restarting the board.

The Ethics board should be made up of folks who are not political cronies or members of any political committee.That being said, the Republican Committee of Pittsburgh is looking for qualified candidates to provide to Pittsburgh city council. People who are stalwarts of their community but are not Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or any third-party's committee members.

They should be city residents who lead in their community and/or business ventures.Visit www.pghgop.org for more information or provide your candidate. You may also post here and I'll check it out.

Tom Leturgey
Secretary
Republican Committee of Pittsburgh