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Clean blocks bloom
in Wissinoming
I have worked in the Wissinoming area for the past 15 years. I’ve witnessed the deterioration of the neighborhoods to include graffiti, trash and the lack of pride in one’s property.
I hear numerous people complain but rarely do I hear a positive comment. Well, here is mine.
On my daily ride home, I’ve found myself saying, ‘Look at this street — doesn’t anyone sweep up anymore?"
Not so on the 2000-2100 blocks of Devereaux Ave. These several blocks are a refreshing change from the trash-filled, overgrown lawn, graffiti-painted corners that seem to have become the norm of the area.
There are well-kept lawns, flower beds, newer patio furniture (you know the ones that still have seats and four legs). It would be my guess that Section 8 units are missing on these blocks.
Other than a select few homes (you know who you are if you’re reading this), it is obvious that there is still a great deal of pride in this neighborhood, and it does get noticed.
Hats off to the homeowners for their effort, and I’ll continue to enjoy the ride home.
John Nolen
Wissinoming
Quick question
Is Philadelphia having a gun-killing contest?
Jean Amsterdam
Bustleton
Stop the violence
before it’s too late
This city is changing so drastically. I am only 22 but I’ve lived in this area all my life. Growing up I remember my mom leaving the door unlocked for us so we could get in after school. Now I would not even think twice about that.
The past two months I have been having problems with neighbors that live below my boyfriend’s house, and the cops are called at least two times a week. They have threatened us as well as started a fistfight with my boyfriend. Just this past week the woman threatened to call DHS on me to have my daughter taken away, and she threatened to cut my throat.
The cops were informed, and advised me to go to 34 S. 11th Street to make a complaint. When we went there, the woman had told me because it was not said directly to me and she did not say my name, that they could not give me a stay-away order. I tried to fight it but of course it failed, so now who is there to protect us? They want the violence to stop but where do you go to try to stop it? Will it have to cost me my life for them to do something? Will someone else have to die, bringing the death toll up one more person? If we cannot count on our police and our courts, then whom do we turn to who will protect us?
I have several police reports for harassment and terroristic threats against my family, and it seems like it doesn’t matter.
Our neighborhood has to work together to try and stop the violence before it happens, because by the time the police do, it’s too late.
Stacy Sautner
Tacony
Gangs are not
worthy of respect
The recent shootings at the basketball tournament between "rival gangs" as well as the brutal murder of a grocer in Crescentville really raised my ire. These gangs demand "respect" but at the slightest perceived insult, such as accidentally bumping someone or smiling at someone else’s girlfriend, to say nothing of infringing on someone’s else’s "drug turf," guns are drawn.
The members of these gangs and the families that spawn them should know that respect begins in the home, and they are obviously not learning the proper form of respect or even what respect means. These ongoing murders are a disgrace to our city. I want to say to these people who kill at the slightest provocation and through doors at hardworking merchants, and to those that protect them: your lifestyle makes you a cowardly lowlife, a piece of trash. You are not worthy of respect, and by the way, the word "disrespect" is NOT a verb.
Patricia Sicilia
Fox Chase
Come see me
sometime, thief
Thanks to friends and a not-so-smart thief, my son’s bike was found. Beware though, he will need a new bike now and he is a neighborhood teenager. To the thief, I am annoyed that you broke the seat trying to make it high enough for you, but I am glad that you are not too bright and chose to ride it within a three-block distance from where you stole it.
Also, if you would like your bike chain back that you left on it when you ran away so fast, stop by. I would love to meet you.
Karen Elliott
Mayfair
God says abortion
is not an option
Regarding the recent letter about abortion written by the nurse:
There may be a number of reasons why a woman may want to end a pregnancy, but except for the possible danger to the mother in case of rape, abortion is very strongly not an option as far as God is concerned; in fact, God’s word really doesn’t allow any reason. After all, God is the author of life and He makes it very clear how He feels about us even before we were born. Read the 139th Psalm and it should be very clear.
There are many loving couples who would jump at the chance to have a child since they were not able to have their own.
If the woman doesn’t want the child, let someone who does love it adopt the baby — but don’t kill it.
Claire Orr
Pennypack
How we treat animals
reflects on our society
Guest Opinion
By Jack Kelly
The repellent allegations of inhuman animal cruelty leveled against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and several of his boyhood friends have sickened the nation and invoked the anger of animal rights activists everywhere. I count myself among them.
If Vick and his alleged accomplices are found guilty, they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The charges against them are so abhorrent that it is almost impossible to imagine that a human being could inflict such cruelty, pain and torment upon injured, helpless dogs.
How we treat animals is a reflection of our society. We aspire to be a humane, caring community of Philadelphians. I would argue that there is no greater unconditional love than that between a pet and its owner. There is also nobility in animals that we humans should envy. The great poet Walt Whitman said it best:
I think I could turn and live with animals,
They are so placid and self-contained,
I stand and look at them long and long,
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
No one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
No one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
No one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
The travesties that unfolded at Michael Vick’s property have had a galvanizing effect on animal rights activists and illuminated the need for Philadelphia to do more to care for and protect animals.
I sit on the board of Alliance for Philadelphia’s Animals. It was through my relationship with the alliance that I came to learn of the disturbingly high "kill-rate" of animals in Philadelphia.
In my capacity as a member of Philadelphia City Council, I am leading the effort to ensure that we become a "no-kill" city for animals. A "no kill" city guarantees homes in shelters for all healthy animals and euthanizes only those animals that are seriously ill or pose a dangerous threat to humans. Major cities such as New York City and San Francisco have successfully implemented "no-kill" policies. There is no reason why Philadelphia cannot do the same.
It may shock you to know that, in 2006, the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association (PACCA) euthanized a staggering 28,000 animals out of the 45,000 total animals that were surrendered to the shelter that year. One of those unfortunate animals was Sheea, a 2-year-old Shetland sheepdog who ran away from her family’s home in the city’s Wissinoming section without her ID collar.
The dog was taken to the PACCA shelter and euthanized a scant nine minutes after arrival. The family was justifiably devastated, and this outrageous incident — and many others like it — prompted me to call for a series of Council hearings that resulted in a dramatic overhaul of PACCA’s staffing, operations and oversight.
When Council returns to session in September, I will sponsor a bill that would exempt cities of the first class — namely Philadelphia — from a state provision that currently allows animals to be sold without a license. I am also working closely with the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to build a new animal adoption center in Center City.
I care about these issues because I love animals. In a place known the world-round as the City of Brotherly Love, we should all do what we can to love and protect the animals that live among us. ••
Jack Kelly is an at-large member of Philadelphia City Council.
Vick, you’re
a disgrace
Michael Vick, you are a disgrace to all that is good in this world. You are supposed to set an example, especially for the children, who look up to you.
I pray that animal-loving prisoners "do unto you, what you did to those innocent dogs." I know the fine won’t bother you. As a football player, it is merely a drop in the bucket.
Hopefully your hometown, Newport News, Va., will run you out of town as a total disgrace to their community. My biggest prayer being the Falcons drop you completely and no other team picks you up. Please, Lord, hear my prayers.
Pat Poehler
Holmesburg
Let’s work hard
to honor our workers
As we celebrate Labor Day we take time to recognize that every day Americans work long, hard hours to meet their responsibilities to their families, their communities and their country. Today, as a nation at war, it is also important to recognize and honor the labor of the women and men in uniform whose sacrifice and commitment keeps our nation safe.
It is my belief that Congress owes all hard-working men and women and their families a firm and unbroken commitment to work just as hard on their behalf.
In the eight months since the new Democratic Congress was sworn in, we have held true to our pledge to work tirelessly and resolutely for a government that honors and respects the work of American families.
I am proud of the Congress’ successes in passing legislation to address key domestic concerns of America’s families: health care, energy prices, prescription drug prices, support for our veterans, job opportunity and job security, affordable higher education, and a fair work environment. The Democratic Congress has passed major new initiatives to address each of these challenges:
• Affordable, quality health care has long been one of my top priorities. Congress recently passed the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act (CHAMP). Under CHAMP, we expanded and strengthened health coverage to 11 million American children of working families. And at the same time, we made needed changes to Medicare to ensure our seniors have the access to high quality doctors and hospitals.
• We recognized that we needed a new energy policy if we are to be energy independent. Congress passed several sweeping new energy initiatives to move our country toward energy independence and greater national security. We cracked down on big oil companies that gouge consumers at the pump. We ended taxpayer subsidies and tax breaks to the nation’s largest oil and gas companies. And we invested substantially in the development of innovative new technologies, which will reduce carbon emissions, create jobs, protect consumers, and modernize our energy infrastructure.
• We raised the federal minimum wage for the first time in 10 years. This increase gave an immediate raise from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour to millions of American workers. Over the next two years the wage will increase by steps to $7.25.
• Congress passed the College Cost Reduction Act, the single largest increase in college aid since the GI bill in 1944. We are committed to ensuring that every single, qualified American who wants to pursue higher education is not limited by inability to meet the cost. This plan invests in federal educational grants and lowers the federal student loan rate.
• To better protect workers’ rights, Congress passed the Employee Free Choice Act. This plan removes obstacles that prevent workers from choosing whether or not they want to form or join a union. We also voted to strengthen protections for federal whistleblowers to prevent retaliation against those who report fraud, wrongdoing, waste, or abuse to the proper authorities.
I am proud of these accomplishments, but there is much to do to make these initiatives reality for American families. The president is continuing to block many of these important efforts — but the Congress is unwavering. We will not let the president stand in the way of moving America forward in a strong new direction.
Labor Day marks the unofficial "end of summer" and the beginning of the new school year. It also is a time when friends, family and neighbors gather for that last summer barbecue or parade.
This year let us not forget who it is we are celebrating on Labor Day — the working women and men who have made and will continue to make our nation great.
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz
13th Congressional District
A few more
stupid driver tricks
Thank you, Jennifer Johnson, for your letter last week regarding five stupid driver tricks. I have three more to add, only these aren’t only stupid, but dangerous as well:
1. Speeding through school zones: As school opening looms in the next two weeks, I am already dreading the way people fly through these zones as if they don’t exist. Levick Street and Robbins Avenue between Hawthorne and Battersby are especially troublesome. There are two schools in this area: St. Timothy’s and Ethan Allen, both elementary schools.
2. Blocking an intersection to make a left turn: The worst area for this action is at Tyson and the Boulevard. People turning left off the Boulevard onto Tyson block drivers traveling west on Tyson Avenue all the time. How rude! The next red light camera should go there!
3. Continuing to make left turns after your left turn signal light has gone out — Harbison and Robbins (right near Ethan Allen School, mentioned above) is where this occurs most often.
15th Police District: You need to pay attention to these careless, dangerous drivers at these locations mentioned above. Don’t wait until someone gets killed or injured.
Loretta Sharkey
Wissinoming
What happened to
the park parking area?
Perhaps the secretary to the Fairmount Park Commission can provide an explanation as to why the parking area at the east side of Verree Road has been eliminated.
This area, though unpaved, was firm and quite stable and provided the only parking access to the Pennypack between Pine Road and Krewstown Road. The area has been plowed, seeded, and mulched, with concrete barriers placed and a barrier gate along Verree Road.
The park should be made more accessible, not less. Even the parking area at Pine Road is now, perhaps temporarily, reduced in size by the large boulders that have been placed there. What’s going on?
Bernard Goldentyer
Bustleton
Grisafi got it
all wrong
I do not know too much about this Gary Grisafi, the Republican candidate for the City Council in the 7th district, however, from what he wrote in his op-ed in last week’s Northeast Times, it is apparent that he has some logical reasoning deficiencies.
He defends the Boy Scouts of America’s policies of discrimination by noting their history of reaching out to the disabled, minorities and inner-city children. This is akin to defending Hitler by noting the improvements he made in the lives of Germany’s middle class Christians. This does not excuse fascist, hateful policies.
Grisafi also enjoys putting forth indefensible beliefs by invoking the name of God. He claims that the BSA is endowed with a "God-given right" to exclude certain people. I guess Grisafi knows something about God that the rest of don’t. If he wasn’t already being presumptuous, he then claims that all Americans have a God-given obligation to support the organization unconditionally.
Unable to provide solid evidence or reasoning for why we have an obligation to support the Boy Scouts, he then commits the fallacy of tradition by proclaiming that we should because "those standards have been highly respected for more than 90 years." So what? Who is highly respecting them? Even if everyone in the country has always had great respect for the BSA, this does not mean they should ignore its wrongdoings.
The fact is the Scouts continue to discriminate against atheists, agnostics and those of non-traditional sexual orientations. It is not at all "extremist" to not want our government supporting such an organization. Remember that oft-forgotten ideal known as the separation of church and state?
There is nothing loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, or kind about receiving help from American taxpayers and then discriminating against Americans.
Scott T. Schmidt
Somerton
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