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Happy birthday to you,

Tacony-Palmyra Bridge

Let’s have a birthday party for the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge on Aug. 14, 2009 and/or Aug. 14, 2029.
Meanwhile, think about refurbishment or replacement, because there is no other location better suited for our "nickel bridge!"
Thank you for the column (July 10 edition) on the history of our bridge and the amazing photos from its first day.
If at all possible, please continue the story of the bridge to the human interest history surrounding its construction and its 80 years, including the bizarre events of the calamitous opening that sent cars and people into the river, to at least one person hanging onto the edge of the ironwork as it went up.
It would also be interesting to include information about the parks, etc. at both ends, existing and proposed.
By the way, what happened to W.G. Borer, the businessman who bought up the land at both ends of the proposed bridge based on inside information?
John D’Alessandro
Lower Mayfair



Stop the trendy

name game

I am calling for a moratorium on the following names for newborns: Hunter, Chase, Logan, Jayden and Madison.
Lately it seems that one cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a youngster bearing one of these hip names.
These names at one time may have been quite novel, but they are now at risk of becoming passé. Let’s give it a rest, people.
Matthew McGrath
Brookhaven



Lessons from the

PACS scandal

As an involved parent at Philadelphia Academy Charter School, I have attended many meetings and events. When I read the 62-page summary all I could feel was a sense of a horrible betrayal. Betrayal by the administrators who took money from our children and betrayal from those who attempted to hide the evidence.
Our family is lucky, since our son is one of the top students; his state test scores are confirmation of this. I thank the dedicated and professional teachers and staff who are committed to our children’s education, many of whom were underpaid. Throughout this mess they continued to teach and students learned. This year the school made Annual Yearly Progress for 2007-08. I wonder what else these teachers have done, how much further could our children soar?
Our son had choice words when he heard about the alleged thefts from the Toys for Tots funds, since he is a member of the school’s National Honor Society. He is a senior this year and looks forward to a rewarding college experience.
I think the School Reform Commission should incorporate the PACS requirements on the rest of the charter schools in Philadelphia, as many of them appear to be interwoven, either with other charters or entities. If, as some of them claim, "that what happened at PACS does not happen here," then the requirements will be easy to meet.
Where has the city controller been? These schools are funded with tax dollars and he audits the School District of Philadelphia. I think the controller’s office should be allowed to audit all of these schools as well.
If anything, this tells us good scores are not enough when money is flowing and controls are lacking. The parents, many who have already stopped coming to the meetings, should come back and stay involved. The new board and administration have a lot of work ahead and could use your eyes and ears. Stay involved! I am still a proud PACS/PACHS parent.
Joseph Anthony
Feasterville

• • •

Thanks for your PACS stories spotlighting the atrocious behaviors of Brien Gardiner and Kevin O’Shea. They really covered all the bases —- Gardiner as the alleged white-collar criminal and O’Shea as the alleged petty crook. Mr. O’Shea’s inclusion of his daughter in his alleged pilfering makes him a strong candidate for Holmesburg’s Father of the Year Award. Hopefully, they’ll both be there next year for the award ceremonies.
Bill Mather
Holmesburg



Too many spots

for the handicapped

Regarding the handicapped-parking issue, if you can go to the store and walk around for hours at a time, you do not need handicapped parking. If your cane works in the store, it can also work in a parking lot. To unload a wheelchair, you would need a bigger space, so, yes, people with wheelchairs should be the only ones who can use handicapped parking. I hate going to the mall or stores and seeing so many unused parking spots marked for handicapped parking.
Also, when you go to Six Flags Great Adventure, why does there have to be hundreds of handicapped parking spots for people to walk around for eight to 10 hours in one day? Ridiculous! People with children need those spots more.
Bernadette Holmes
Bridesburg



The war is the

biggest blunder ever

After five years of war in Iraq are we safer? Our troops are fighting bravely and Homeland Security is trying to do a good job, but I feel more insecure now than before or after 9/11. It took only a few terrorists to carry out 9/11. The war has cost us billions and billions. There are thousands of dead and wounded on both sides. Iraq is devastated. We won the war in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was toppled. Poor planning has cost us the peace. Winning the war won’t make me feel secure. We need a new direction. We have to try to understand the underlying bad feelings the Arabs have toward us.
The billions wasted should be used at home. We desperately need to rebuild our infrastructure, finances and health systems. I worry more about a catastrophe at home than a threat from abroad. Will I get my Social Security? Will I go over a bridge that may collapse? We need a new direction. The war is the worst blunder this country has ever gotten us into. We have to get out as soon as possible.
Martin Horowitz
Oxford Circle



All of the MOVE 9

are still dangers to society

Regarding Sasha Murray’s letter in the July 24 edition, Stop the injustice against the MOVE 9!:
As the representative of 14,500 active and retired Philadelphia police officers, all of whom are active members of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 Philadelphia, I must respond to the extremely inaccurate try at rhetoric in Miss Murray’s letter.
Murray takes issue with the actions of the Pennsylvania Parole Board at the expense of the facts. There is no new or for that matter old startling evidence of the MOVE 9’s innocence, and the trial judge and jury passed their sentence a long time ago because of clear, unquestioned evidence of their guilt.
I am not aware of an international movement in their defense, and even if one existed I wouldn’t care, since convicted murderers with a great public relations machine are still murderers.
I only look to the international movement for Wesley Cook, aka Mumia Abu Jamal, and see that they are not told the facts and circumstances of the case, but lies designed to sway public opinion.
In other countries they believe that Abu Jamal was pulled from behind the microphone at a radio station and arrested for the murder of Daniel Faulkner vs. the truth — that he was found incapacitated at the scene beside Faulkner after he shot Faulkner and Faulkner shot Jamal.
One thing is certain: prisons and jails around the world are filled with people who profess their innocence. The nine defendants were found guilty in open court. The nine defendants are not and should not become cult heroes, but stay what they are: convicted felons serving their sentences.
The Pennsylvania Parole Board looked at all the facts and circumstances of the defendants’ crimes and ruled consistent with their mandate as they do every day, not just in the case of "celebrity" defendants.
To set the record straight, the defendants in this matter received sentences of a minimum of 30 years to a maximum of 100 years not only for the murder of Police Officer James Ramp but the wounding of police officers and firefighters, some of whom were shot attempting to remove their fallen brothers from the defendants’ field of fire from the barricaded MOVE compound.
Do you think for one minute, with MOVE’s history of armed and violent confrontations with the police and city officials and their professed hatred of law enforcement and government, they will ever live in a society of law and justice?
The MOVE defendants made it clear on the record during the trial and at their sentencing they will never admit their guilt, nor acknowledge the crimes they committed; they have not told the truth about that day or expressed any remorse.
In answer to the question posed above, it’s just not in them, and the parole board recognized that each and every one of them is still a danger to society.
John J. McNesby
President, Michael G. Lutz Lodge 5, Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police



Taking exception to the

Iraq Veterans Against the War

The July 24 cover story A battle cry to end the war by staff writer Jon Campisi is a flattering account of the anti-war group Iraq Veterans Against the War, which lacked a great deal of critical information needed for the Northeast Times readers to reach an informed opinion of the group, its origin, efforts and goals.
Though Campisi noted that the Iraq Veterans Against the War were formed under the patronage of the Veterans For Peace, unexamined is who are the Veterans For Peace (VFP).
The leadership of VFP is almost exclusively members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Vietnam Veterans Against the War are veterans who unfairly smeared their own generation of military, calling them baby killers and war criminals at the Jane Fonda-funded "tribunal" called Winter Soldier. The real story is that IVAW is really a re-enactment of the Vietnam era protests under VVAW.
A lack of originality can be forgiven, but the Iraq Veterans Against the War’s decision to hold their own Winter Soldier smear is absolutely reprehensible.
This time it was the AFL-CIO who played the role of Jane Fonda and hosted Winter Soldier 2.0 at its National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md.
Similar to the original attack on the Vietnam generation, none of the "testimony" was under oath and hearsay was permitted, violating basic constitutional rights afforded Americans accused of crimes. Names of perpetrators were not required, but the "witnesses" told the world war crimes are routinely committed by our troops with the awareness of all levels of command. Additionally, the scope of IVAW’s Winter Soldier 2.0 included Afghanistan as an illegal and immoral war.
The profiles of the IVAW members featured in Jon Campisi’s account contained disingenuous elements. T.J. Buonomo was described as having five years of service. In fact, four years were at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Consider that those four years of college-level education does not count towards military retirement, and you will see his service was exaggerated.
A great deal of the time left was spent in training and he never deployed — not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it was presented in a way to imply more experience and knowledge than exists.
Kelly Dougherty is described as enlisting at age 17, in a Guard unit. Other than her deployment, the commitment per year in the Reserves or Guard is one weekend a month and two weeks of active duty training, 38 days.
Shalom Keller is cited as six months in Afghanistan and 12 months in Iraq, but the writer fails to note that his experience is stale, as the situation on the ground in Iraq has dramatically changed. That is a recurring fact when looking at what many IVAW vets bring to the debate. The reality of the Iraq war has changed, but their views have not.
Overall, the anti-war movement seeks to sell as military experts, junior enlisted personnel who lack the training, experience and skills to provide a strategic opinion. They can speak to their experience, but keep in mind, their responsibilities in this war were limited to three city blocks and a dozen people. Yet, they are sent out as someone who can speak with authority, because their leaders exploit the American public’s genuine awe for our troops.
These Iraq vets posture that though they are against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, they are as patriotic as mainstream America. That claim breaks down quickly when you look at the beliefs of the groups they support and work with, such as ANSWER, Code Pink, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and even Veterans For Peace.
ANSWER is a front for the Party for Liberation and Socialism, whose leaders preach unconditional support for the insurgents they call "the resistance," even as they kill American troops.
Code Pink has contributed $650,000 to "the resistance." Both are endorsers of the World Tribunal on Iraq that declares that the insurgents have the moral high ground, so much so that they are entitled to commit terrorist atrocities to force the Americans out of Iraq.
Ignored in the article were initiatives prominently featured on the IVAW Web site. Tactical strategies such as "Befriend A Recruiter," in which IVAW hopes to "shut down recruitment for this war," participants are encouraged to not reveal their connection to IVAW or this initiative. Honest addressing of the issues, right?
In the Active Duty section of the Web site one can find information on being a war resistor, appealing for redress, and conscientious objector information.
Based upon the contents of the Web site and the facts presented, it is fair to say that supporting the troops through subversion is a good characterization of this IVAW.
Tania Ciolko
Torresdale



They’re getting raw

deals from the city

I want to bring to your attention an aggravating and unfair injustice brought upon my parents, lifelong residents of this great city who live in the Northeast.
I too, have lived, worked and received my education in this city for the past 40 years. It is saddening to me and my parents when we see our great neighborhoods going down, not being taken care of and laden with trash and debris.
As homeowners, we take pride in our properties. It is with such disgust that my parents received a code violation in the mail for high weeds and bushes. My 75-year-old father mows the lawn himself, sometimes twice a week, and has done that for the past 40 years. My parents live in Castor Gardens, a neighborhood that is transitioning where people are not as neat and tidy.
The fine is $75, which is a considerable amount for folks on a fixed income. Had they been negligent with the upkeep of their property, I would pay the fine for them, but they have not.
Whoever wrote this violation needs glasses or needs to learn how to read house numbers, for it clearly was not my parents’ house.
This has caused them lots of distress. Now they have to go to court and fight the violation. This means my father has to take a day off from his part-time job, without pay, to travel into Center City, to dispute an unfair violation.
I have heard that when these types of tickets are issued, the homeowners get warnings to correct the violation or they will be fined and charged the amount to have the lawn mowed. My parents never received such a "warning," or they could have called someone to come out and see that it was clearly not their property.
With the demise of SO MANY properties in the Northeast, the officers should be certain that they are issuing violations to the right owners. I would like to know why a warning letter was not issued and also, does the officer have pictures of this offense? This would certainly prove that it was NOT my parents’ house.
I am sure we are not the only people that this has happened to. This needs to be looked at. My parents and I are the kind of homeowners that we want to keep in our city, not drive them away by such harassment.
Gina Pacillio
Bustleton

• • •

I have lived at this rental apartment since July 1, 2007. I have had problems from day one.
The landlord lives in California and has her uncle to oversee the property and/or repairs.
This rental is in the Northeast Philadelphia area and was rented by a Realtor to us. There have been problems and/or needed repairs from day one. The repairs are either slow in coming or non-existent. In addition, I have learned the landlord does not have a license to rent.
We have had Licenses and Inspections here seven times, but that had enforced nothing. We have a hearing with the Fair Housing Commission upcoming, since it has been postponed twice by the landlord.
It appears that the city of Philadelphia and its agencies are lax and/or incompetent when it comes to tenants but not to property owners that rent the property out and pay real estate tax.
The population of Philadelphia is shrinking due in part to tenants looking elsewhere to live and not be under a city government that doesn’t care.
I have been told that the rental suitability ordinance was suspended due to pressure from the landlord lobby and has greatly limited tenants’ rights.
Andrea Shumsky
Somerton



It’s a new day in Philadelphia —

for the developers, anyway

Guest Opinion
By Louis M. Iatarola

It is no irony that on the day the Tacony Civic Association was informed that the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) approved a variance to permit eight apartments at 6954 Keystone St. in an R-5 residential (single-family) district, it was announced that the city lost nearly 70,000 of its population between 2000 and 2007.
Just seven months into a new administration and already citizens in our community and others in the Northeast are wondering what the newly appointed ZBA is thinking.
As an administration with casino revenue built into its budget is bending over backward to support anti-casino groups located closer to Center City, it is becoming disturbingly obvious that Northeast Philadelphia neighborhoods will be left with little or no voice when it comes to defending against those seeking to exploit us.
It appears that the downward spiral this part of the city has experienced over the past half-century at the hands of a stale but entrenched political machine will extend through yet another administration.
I’m not sure many of us have the patience or tolerance to ride out another one.
The property at 6954 Keystone St., when operating by variance as a 12-family dwelling, was a documented nuisance going back to the early 1980s. Late-night fights, public drunkenness and day-long loitering on the front steps were the norm, sometimes spilling over into Disston Park across the street. This activity ebbed and flowed until 1998 or so, when squatters took over for a short time before the building was sealed by the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). Like many older properties in Tacony, this one fell victim to the conversion craze that took hold during the 1950s and 1960s, creating congestion and density problems from which we have not yet recovered.
After the building was vacant for three years, with the help of L&I and Councilwoman Krajewski, the civic association took steps to ensure that the legal use as multi-family expired.
The Philadelphia Zoning Code clearly states that if a non-conforming use lapses for three or more years, that this use is no longer legal and a new variance would be required. As the property passed through several owners, offers to purchase by the Tacony CDC were turned down repeatedly despite the owners’ knowledge of the lapse in legal zoning for 12 units.
Our position on the matter was buoyed by the fact that in 1991 the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) performed an extensive remapping of Tacony to specifically remove most of the multi-family zoning designations that over the decades negatively impacted the neighborhood.
Fully aware of the zoning situation, the present owners paid $115,000 in 2007 for what amounted to a shell of a building on a 67x150 lot — essentially a single family development site unless a buyer like the Tacony CDC were to restore the original part of the property.
Prior to applying for a variance to restore 12 units, the owners placed the property on the market for sale at $340,000 while doing no improvements.
Dozens of CLIP violations piled up at the property. The real estate listing stated that the building was a shell and "not safe for entry," but did not alert potential buyers to the lapse in zoning.
When a meeting was held on May 13 to discuss the variance with neighbors and the applicant, more than 100 people attended and expressed unanimous opposition to a variance for 12 units at 6954 Keystone St. A dozen neighbors took time to turn out at the ZBA hearing to express their opposition.
An often-mute PCPC decided that a "compromise" was in order and that to allow eight apartment units on a 67-foot wide lot with no off-street parking (where during the week parking is a problem due to Tacony’s R-7 train station across the street) was a sound idea.
Despite precedent, the expressed will of local residents, a lack of any property maintenance on the part of the owners and the clear reasons behind the current zoning designation, the ZBA ruled in favor of a variance to allow eight units at 6954 Keystone St., damaging what momentum has been achieved in the immediate area through the restoration efforts of individual property owners.
They chose to reward out-of-town owners for allowing CLIP violations to pile up while the neighbors continue to contend with this mess on a daily basis. This ZBA decision demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of land use patterns in this part of the city, utter cluelessness when it comes to the impact of density in a neighborhood and an intolerable disregard for the desires of so many tax-paying, hard-working citizens who took the time to be present that day.
Rarely does a community organization find itself in a position to reverse a negative land use pattern like the conversion of single-family to multi-family properties.
We sought the support of the ZBA to simply enforce laws that already exist in our Zoning Code. Instead they ruled in favor of the developers, despite there being two former residences on the block (6932 & 6940-42) where a total of eighteen (18) living units still operate, and these uses have not lapsed.
The case will be appealed to Common Pleas Court, where we expect a judge to exercise the common sense and logic absent in the ZBA decision. As our historical society works toward the creation of a Local Historic District in what is known as the Disston Estate, restoring single-family uses to a gateway block like Keystone Street is paramount. The irresponsible decision rendered by this ZBA was certainly a setback but was far from a knockout punch.
In the short time we’ve been subject to the current ZBA, it appears that the only "new day" in Philly is one for the developers. The out-of-town owners of 6954 Keystone St. expect to profit to the tune of $225,000 from this ZBA decision upon selling it, despite all the code violations.
Unless Northeast Philadelphia gets some representation on, or respect from, the ZBA, the "new day" to come in our part of the city could be a dark one indeed.
We know we are not alone in this struggle with the new ZBA. I urge residents across the Northeast to become informed about how the city is making decisions for your neighborhood. Open a conversation with your civic leaders and elected officials, and get involved! Use your voice! Find out what PCPC envisions for the future of your community.
The questionable direction these municipal entities seem to be taking is not specific to Tacony, and history graphically tells us that zoning and planning decisions can have consequences for a neighborhood that literally last for generations. ••
Louis M. Iatarola is president of Tacony Civic Association.

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