Jews In Jerusalem

Except when barred by one conqueror or another, Jews had lived in Jerusalem since King David. Prior to Jordanian rule in 1948, there was a Jewish majority for 150 years. In 1864, eight thousand of the fifteen thousand population was Jewish. By 1914, two thirds of the sixty five thousand residents were Jewish. In 1948 the United Nations Partition Plan divided the British Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. Jerusalem was to be initially an international city, with access guaranteed for all. This plan was rejected by the surrounding Arab nations, which attacked Israel in concert immediately upon the UN vote. When the truce was declared, Israel had survived, but East Jerusalem(walled Old City) was in procession of TransJordan. The Jordanians subsequently destroyed over 50 synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, which dated back to the 1400's. For hundreds of years both Christians and Jews were prohibited from building higher than Muslim structures. The few synagogues which survived were the ones built mostly below street level. The oldest surviving synagogue, The Jerusalem Synagogue, was built by the Karaite Jews in around 900. Shown above is the Ben Kakai, a Sephardic Synagogue built in the 16th Century.

Perhaps the most famous synagogue destroyed by the Jordanians was the Ashkenazi Hurva Synagogue built in 1720, it's dome visible in the top center of this photograph from the 1920's. It's replacement was completed in 2010.

This post was first printed in April of 2010, and titled The Synagogues of Jerusalem

A Family Story

This post is unusually personal for this blog.  My grandfather came to Allentown from Russian Lithuania  in 1891.  In the next few years he was joined by his parents, and five siblings.   The family settled on 2nd Street, along with many other Jewish immigrants of that period.  He worked in various jobs, including a cigar factory, until he could establish himself as a butcher, as in the old country.  Because we were here for over a hundred years,  I consider myself somewhat of a local historian.

As a boy growing up in Lehigh Lehigh Manor, on the ridge above Lehigh Parkway, I explored the WPA structures when they were still comparatively new.  Because of that background, I was able to uncover the Boat Landing, and advocate for our  traditional park system.  One of my father's uncles worked for the park system, caring for Lehigh Parkway.

What brought me to this post is my great grandmother's tombstone in Fountain Hill, which I recently visited.  She is buried in an old Jewish cemetery that is no longer in use. Although, her tombstone is very old, it replaced an even older one , that then laid behind the former Wentz's tombstone factory at 20th and Hamilton, for many decades.  I am the last Molovinsky in Allentown.

photo taken behind Wentz's before recent demolition of that facility.

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ALLENTOWN SPEAK OUT

                                    REPRINTED FROM 2012

In the best use, molovinsky on allentown chronicles my efforts in the community, in addition to being an alternative news source for local issues. Last week a small victory resulted from such efforts. Our local dignitaries broke ground for a new garage at Lanta. Several years ago, when the garage plans were first announced, it was to be built on the parking lot of Bicentennial Park. Allentown needed money, and Lanta had a grant to build a new garage. Lanta claimed that the ball park property was the only feasible location, and the City claimed that Bicentennial Park had outlived it's usefulness.

Bicentennial Park is virtually the history of baseball in Allentown. First opened in 1939 as Fairview Field, it was home to the minor league team of the Boston Braves; The Allentown Dukes played there through 1948, when Breadon Field was built in Whitehall, site now of the Lehigh Valley Mall. Over the years thousands of Allentown kids had the yearly thrill of playing "Under The Lights". In addition to hosting the Allentown Ambassadors, it currently serves women's fast pitch softball. In addition to the outrage in our park system, I will be adding the ballfield as a topic in my upcoming SPEAK OUT ALLENTOWN MEETING. from Lanta Mugs City, May 14,2009  

I conducted a meeting at a small local church, which attracted a couple members of City Council and the Hunsicker Family, who led the drive to build the park, decades ago. City Council went on to pass a resolution recommending that the park not be sold, and Lanta did eventually figure out an alternative space for the garage. Needless to say, I wasn't one of the dignitaries invited to the ground breaking, nor were my efforts even mentioned in the newspaper article, but a small victory, never the less.

Baseball Memoirs, June 3, 2009

above reprinted from 2012
UPDATE DECEMBER 2016: The meetings mentioned above, in 2008 and 2009, I conducted at Faith Baptist Church on N.12th St.  Among the topics were parking meter increases, Lanta,  Bicentennial Park, and Fairview Cemetery.  They provided an informal public venue for citizens and council to interact.  Years later, I would conduct more meetings at the library on preserving the WPA structures.  Unfortunately,  Allentown and South Whitehall have demonstrated little regard for our historic structures.  The mission continues.

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Rumble Over Wehr's Dam

This striking photograph of Wehr's Dam was taken recently by local professional photographer Hub Willson, and featured on his facebook page. Among the many who complimented the photograph was Randy Cope, Park and Recreation Director of South Whitehall. Randy cooperated with efforts by the Wildlands Conservancy to demolish the dam, and still calls for its demolition in his Parks Master Plan. After I spent the last 30 months defending the dam against the Wildlands and South Whitehall, I couldn't refrain from reminding Randy that if he had his way, the dam wouldn't have been there last week for Hub to photograph.

When the former Allentown Park Director allowed The Wildlands Conservancy to demolish the quaint Robin Hood Dam in Lehigh Parkway,  he told me that the dam could be replaced with a nice sign and picture of the former dam.

Just as the Democrats were surprised that Trump won in November,  Randy Cope, The Wildlands Conservancy and the South Whitehall Commissioners never expected the Wehr's Dam Referendum to pass. They expected the residents to vote the dam away, when threatened with a tax increase for restoration. They thought that they could accommodate the Wildlands Conservancy with no political consequence. They still hope to demolish the dam.

Hub has understandably deleted the posting and controversy from his page, and I apologize for my intrusion there.  Sometimes, in the course of fighting for our history,  I must cross some boundaries; For that I make no apology.

photograph of Wehr's Dam by Hub Willson


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Politics 2016, When Well Spoken Was No Longer Enough

I'll grant my liberal late night friends that Barack and Bill are both well spoken and cool. We saw Barack with Anthony Bourdain and Jerry Seinfeld, tres cool. You like your pols well spoken and witty. How you enjoyed Trump and Palin being ridiculed on SNL. How you loved Jon Steward bashing those low information Republicans. How you loved the beautiful entertainers campaigning for Hillary.   Well, friends, the proverbial fat lady has sung.

 Bill Clinton's explanation of Hillary's loss marks the end of his commentator days. Anybody with a shred of insight knows that the election was over well before the FBI announcement or any Russian hacking leaks. Bill's lack of candor also spells the end of Hillary, because her main credential was him. Likewise, Barack Obama's explanation of the loss was way less than candid. He was the quintessential inspirational speaker, who failed to bring any change with his hope. Democrats fail to realize that when there's no factories anymore, union bosses telling you whom to vote for doesn't carry much weight.

 There's even Republicans who loss big in this election, like the Bush clan. Of course, all this is the good news. The bad news is that I don't see this country coming together.  That would require the cooperation of the media, which is soundly married to the concept of polarization. With the country so split, it is more profitable to take a side, and stick with it. Alec Baldwin will have his Saturday night job for at least the next four years.

The Self Righteousness of the Left.

The last ditch attempt by the Democrats to reverse our election process has failed, although the results won't be official until January 6. Prevailing upon the electoral college members to vote their conscience, instead of their mandate under the Constitution,  required a heavy dose of self righteousness on the Democrat's part.  Unlike votes in swing states,  that is something in which they abound.

Worse, they don't seem to understand the true nature of their loss.  While they rave on about winning the popular vote,  but for New York City and Los Angeles,  they would have lost that also. While they rant on about not steering enough voters out to the polls on election day,  the Republicans had virtually no organized ground game under Trump.  What they did have was highly self- motivated voters, wanting to see some fundamental changes in their government.

I don't think  that the two post election strategies of having a recount, or subverting the Electoral College, will endear more voters to the Democratic Party.  Bill Clinton speaking of "angry white men", and using every excuse for Hillary's loss, won't help either.  Obama spending his final days in office muttering about Putin hacking our system, is just another example of poor losing.  He would have served righteousness better confronting Russia about the carnage in Syria.  Michelle Obama told Oprah Winfrey that the country is losing hope under president elect Trump.  She apparently doesn't understand that voters were looking for more than hope, they want progress, both for themselves and the country.

Bill White's Christmas Fruit Cake

If Pawlowski needed any indicator that his goose is cooked in Allentown, he need look no further than Bill White's column on Sunday. For the second year in a row,  Bill abandoned his usual Sunday Christmas Light Column for the low hanging fruit called Pawlowski. Last year's column already recommended that the mayor resign.  Understand, that White by nature isn't a boat rocker.  White's use of the previous mayors in the Pawlowski dream sequence was a very clever vehicle. I note that of one of the expressions he used,  shenanigans,  has appeared along with Pawlowski's name on this blog dozens of times.

Although, White has apparently decided that Pawlowski is now definitely Hall of Shame material, he  still shields the NIZ from such scrutiny.  He knows that Pawlowski really wasn't responsible for the new construction in Allentown, and that it just happen on his watch.  He knows that the NIZ is J.B. Reilly's handiwork,  who now even owns the Morning Call building and office, from where Bill wrote his column.

Since its been over a year since White called for Pawlowski's resignation, we certainly must give Mayor Ed credit for being resilient.  He may even decide to run for a 4th term.

A Bastard Blogger At Christmas

Last Wednesday's council meeting wasn't nearly as crowded as it appeared, considering that council and the mayor were finally going toe to toe.  One side of the chamber was half full with city employees, there by Pawlowski mandate.  I saw both  the park director and her foreman.  Pawlowski was giving a long soliloquy on how the budget cuts would affect each department, and the department heads were summoned for dramatic effect.  The other side of the chamber, populated by the citizenry, was about one third full.

However, if you wanted to find citizens,  you need only driven toward Lehigh Parkway Saturday night.  There, for Lights In The Parkway, the line of cars extended all along Parkway East, over Schreibers Bridge, and down Martin Luther King Drive.  When I drive through the park I see the neglected WPA structures.  I see the view and access to the creek obscured by Wildlands Conservancy Weeds. I see neglect, misappropriation, and undue outside influence.

It would be nice to only concern myself with twinkling colored lights.  Perhaps they have a pill for that.

Allentown's Runaway Monster

Allentown City Council created the monster that they are now trying to reign in.  They turned the mayor into this rebellious creature, by granting his each and every wish for eleven years.  Although that will not be the defense used by the attorney he hires to defend his budget,  it could be.  The attorney could claim that council itself conditioned the mayor to think that he was entitled to create every position he desired, and fund it to the extent that he wished.  Council for three consecutive terms never voted no against his requests.  The longest sitting member,  Julio Guridy, never had to learn  how to say "no" in English. *  Pawlowski was so strong that he actually decided who should cast his yes votes, and stacked the council to his will.  He likewise stacked every authority in Allentown with board members assigned to approve his greater agenda.

Credit the FBI for finally subduing the monster.  It was certainly something that the voters weren't up to.   It is ironic and painful that the citizens must pay for both Pawlowski's and Council's legal costs to defend their relative budgets.  However,  call it the price to pay for those eleven years of indiffernce.  As to which case will prevail,  I don't think that the taxpayers will win either way.

* please pardon my culturally insensitive little joke

News In The Lehigh Valley

One of the new terms from this election, among many, is fake news.  With so many people now getting their news and information from scrolling on a  mobile device, often a headline is what people have come to believe.  Broadcast journalism no longer really exists.  Who believes that Fox is fair and balanced? Who doesn't see the objective of MSNBC?  In our era, trying to get close to the truth is laborious and time consuming.  You have to check multiple sources, and try to distill common denominators in a story.

Here in the valley, I think that we're still pretty lucky in the news department.  It's true that we lost one of the three papers, and the other two are skeletons of their previous self.  And of course, there's certain topics which have no credibility in reporting, such as the NIZ in Allentown.  J.B. Reilly literally now owns the Morning Call building.   The fox owns the henhouse.  Although the paper would claim that there are firewalls, they have always been very thin at 6th and Linden.  That topic aside,  they are pretty good reporting the saga at City Hall,  and being forthright about crime.

WFMZ also does a good job.  Although their medium restricts them to sound bites and short segments for the tube,  their websites produces detailed stories, written by former reporters for both the Morning Call and Express Times.  How many people actually read those reports is another story.

Here in the blogosphere, you have Bernie O'Hare, who relentlessly hunts the stories. Although he has some prized politicians,  he takes his role very seriously, and includes disclosures. Then, of course there is another blogger, who writes less, and likes nobody.

ADDENDUM: The national venues,  such as Huffington Post and MSNBC,  with Trump having lost the popular vote,  are reinforced with their agenda news spin. (Same for Conservative venues, with Trump winning the election.)  Yesterday,  Rachel Maddow and MSNBC, vowed to keep the pressure on the new administration. Of course that means continue with the aspersions and inneuendos popular with their audience.  Entertainment business as usual, masquerading as news.

Trump's Brilliant Cabinet

During the campaign nothing about Trump really impressed me.  Now, that he has been elected,  I'm impressed with his cabinet formation.  While his opposers are complaining about appointing the rich, fat cat capitalists, after he swore to drain the swamp, he indeed is doing as he pledged.  These people are not being picked for their skin color or gender.  They are not being picked because they need a paycheck or career.  Each will actually sacrifice economically to serve.

What is prompting this post, at this time, is Trump reportedly has picked Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State, along with John Bolton as his deputy.  Tillerson, a $25 million a year CEO of Exxon Oil, didn't need a job or prestige. He doesn't need to be Secretary of State to help Exxon, as American Voice of Reason, claim in the facebook notice shown above.  When Trump ran he pledged to bring the best people into our government, and he seems to be doing just that.

Defending Tony The Tiger Against Breitbart

I have been defending Steve Bannon from association with white supremacy and anti-semitism. I also defend Breitbart News, from such accusations. However, I must now defend Kellogg's from Breitbart's boycott campaign against the cereal company. Kellogg's pulled their advertising from Breitbart's because of perceptions referenced above. Breitbart in turn started the boycott in response. There is no obligation for a company to advertise with a media outlet, and there should be no penalty for ending the relationship, regardless of the reason. I can only think that this tactic will hurt Breitbart more in the long term. Monetizing web sites is no easy matter.  Kellogg's undoubtedly advertised with Breitbart because of their growing readership. Although, they decided to end the relationship for political reasons,  that is their prerogative.  Breitbart's niche is being conservative in a mostly liberal field.  Perhaps the only other site of their size is Drudge Report.  I think that Breitbart should have a firewall between their editorial position and their advertising department.  To end up being boycotted after spending your advertising dollars doesn't seem a worthwhile dollar placement.  I  suspect that other potential advertisers will take notice.

The Coptic Church Of Alexandria

The Church and Theology School in Alexandria was established by the Apostle Mark in 60AD. Most of the early converts were common Egyptians who spoke Coptic. Although Christians became the majority before the Arab invasion in 636, by the 12th century they were the minority. The concept of monasteries in Christianity was started by the Coptics in the deserts of Egypt. Currently, the Coptics are threatened by transitions in Egypt, let us pray for their safety.

photograph of St. Marks Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt.

reprinted from January 2011

A Legacy Of Capitualation

While Obama embodied everything that liberal America could want in a president, he capitulated us away on the world stage. His line in the sand in Syria was only one of many feats of weakness. Probably, his greatest victim was Israel, which saw him embolden Iran.

While I'm alienating my liberal friends, let me go further. His current decision to stop the Dakota pipeline is yet another plea for lasting popularity with his base. Understand, that the pipeline is not on the reservation. Understand, that while it is near the tip an area that juts out from the main part of the reservation, it is far away from that main area. Understand, that only the portion that goes under the river reservoir is incomplete, and it must go under it somewhere, to be completed. I understand that while the image of Indians, activists and veterans has created a noble notion, the stoppage impacts our energy and commerce. It is my hunch that if Hillary won the election, Obama may not have acted against the pipeline. I believe that he sees the issue as a final poke in the eye to those fascists who have conspired against his noble causes.

Showdown At City Council

Last night was quite a confrontation between the mayor and city council. Those looking for more details can find excellent reports by Emily Opilo of the Morning Call, and Bernie O'Hare at Ramblings.

Alan Jennings was the only person from the public who spoke on Pawlowski's behalf. He claimed that the budget cuts are being inflicted on Pawlowski as punishment for the criminal investigation, and because of those cuts employees are leaving, and morale is low. Of course, in truth, people are leaving and morale is low because six underlings have already pleaded guilty to criminal acts on Pawlowski's behalf, and others are not anxious to fall on the same sword.

Although council defunded the Managing Director position, Pawlowski has created three other positions in his executive suite since he first assumed office. Although council defunded the Community Development Director and Operations Manager, there still exists subordinate positions which operate the nuts and bolts of the city's operation.

Pawlowski read into the record a long filibuster about how the cuts would effect each department and it's activities. In Parks and Recreation, the department of which I'm most familiar, he cited the adverse effect it would have on the city pools and the WPA structures. His administration closed Fountain Park Pool years before any budget cuts. Cedar Beach Pool is now the subject of another investigation. Besides rebuilding the previously neglected wall in Lehigh Parkway which had collapsed, the city hasn't spend one dime on the WPA. They only repaired part of the wall because it was necessary to reopen the entrance road. Work done last summer on the Fountain Park WPA steps was paid for by the Trexler Trust, after a third party secured the grant.

When Pawlowski asked the city solicitor if council's actions last night were permissible under the charter, she declined to answer, claiming that she wasn't prepared for the question.* Pawlowski has threatened to go to court if council persisted with their budget plans, which they passed last night. However, it's unclear who would pay for that. Furthermore, I think that he might become preoccupied with his own probable court date.

*ADDENDUM: Last night I asked a council member about solicitor Susan Wild, who replied that she has provided them with excellent counsel.  My erroneous post yesterday implied otherwise.

A New Pawlowski Shenanigan

For years I have urged that Allentown City Council should use the budget and expense approvals as a negotiation tool, as done by councils most everywhere else. This council, and it's predecessors for the most part, refused, and became known as rubber stamps. That changed rather dramatically with Pawlowski's implication in wrong doing by the FBI investigation. For the current budget, council has become very proactive. They indicated last meeting that a solicitor of their own was overdue. I would hope that Council calls this bluff by Pawlowski and Wild, and passes the budget tomorrow night with council's own amendments. They should also seek an outside opinion on Wild's unique interpretation of the budget sequence.

ADDENDUM:  Two members of council have stated that they will indeed pass their amended version of the budget tomorrow evening.

UPDATE: Fellow local blogger Bernie O'Hare feels that Wild was serving council's interest by notifying them that the budget deadline was December 15th.  Pawlowski now claims that the cuts made to his first budget, legally justify a new budget by the administration,  and the review processes must start anew.  Susan Wild has not opined on Pawlowski's new assertion.  The notion of Susan Wild serving any master other than Pawlowski is news to both me and council.

UPDATE DECEMBER 8TH: Last night I asked a council member about solicitor Susan Wild,  who replied that she has provided them with excellent counsel.

Why Trump Won and Clinton Lost

Some Democrats are saying that Clinton lost the election by a total of 110,000 votes in three key swing states.  I don't know if that is indeed a fact,  because facts are hard to come by in the current news and media world.  Considering that one of those key states was Pennsylvania, and that Lehigh County is an important factor in the state,  the election process appears to have been fair.  A recount in Lehigh discovered only three absentee ballots which should have gone to Hillary.  A local Democratic activist, although physically present at the Lehigh County recount, continues to paste the election fraud posts on his facebook page.  Jill Stein dropped the recount in Pennsylvania because it was only proving the fairness of the election.  However, she and the Democrats are now filing  claims in federal court, to continue casting doubts on Trump's legitimacy as president.

Every possible accusation of racism and bigotry was used against Trump.  He is supposedly in league with anti-gays,  against women in multiple ways, anti-Semitic and anti everything else.  He didn't win because half the country dances in hate, he won because, as James Carville famously once said, it's the economy, stupid.

I heard a 10 year old girl call Trump a bad man the other day.  I don't find it positive that millions of children growing up with despondent Democratic parents would think that the next president of the United States is a bad man.  I don't find it constructive that their parents are allowing them to harbor such an opinion even before the inauguration.  The September issue of Time Magazine featured comedians and the extraordinary career that they were having with the soft orange target.  I suppose that they will continue mocking, but eventually their sponsors will realize that  they're alienating a significant portion of their market share.  CNN is now analyzing the election, to explain what happen.  Of course, self analysis would be more in order.

The bitterness of this election certainly eclipses anything in my memory.  Although, I didn't support Trump,  I now find this political acrimony more disturbing than anything any candidate said.  I must confess that when I discontinued anonymous comments my readership numbers suffered.  I have no doubt that I'm again losing readers, by criticizing their unwillingness to accept the results of our democracy.

Rumble In Our Democracy

I keep wanting to get back to local news, but the sore Democrats won't allow it.  They're still complaining about dog whistles and racism.  They're still calling Bannon a white supremacist.  So far, on their behalf, I've seen no real insight about their loss.  Newscasters on CNN speculate that Joe Biden might have beaten Trump.  Instead,  they should be examining how they lost any pretense of objectivity.  Torturing the Democrats even more, is the fact that they won the popular vote.    I see previously sensitive women, of Democratic persuasion, making catty comments about Kellyanne Conway's appearance.  I see lawyers complaining about the legality of the  electoral college.

A local dispenser of taxfunded grants is distressed because Trump used an Indiana state grant to help retain Carrier manufacturing jobs. He wants Obama to get credit for the 16 million jobs that a Washington Post headline said that he had created.  There's no details in the article, because if Obama had in fact created that many jobs,  Hillary would have won. Union members voted for Trump not because of racism, but because they know better than most, that making popcorn at the mall during Christmas season,  isn't manufacturing.  Although, I have often praised this local official on this blog for his accomplishments in Allentown, he requested that I refrain from commenting on his Facebook page. He hates Trump to his very core, and does not accept him as his president.  Another tax funded agency director praised his reply to me.  Never the less, I will continue complimenting his good work.  For me,  life goes on in Allentown, regardless of who is elected to the White House.

We see professors outlining courses on racism and electoral grief.  Others seek contributions for a recount in Florida, with only hours left allowing that recourse.  I have yet to read or hear a positive, forward thinking word from the Democrats.  As a certified bastard, I must once again confess my amusement.  My only concern is that my smirk might be taken as a smile.

Recounting America's Preference

Earlier in the week, I was critical of the Green Party and their recount effort.  I thought that they were compromising their principles, to possibly only benefit Clinton and the Democrats.  Indeed, the disheartened Democrats thought much more of Jill Stein after she filed for the recount.  The Clinton campaign is now openly recruiting people to help with the recount in Michigan and Wisconsin. The other day, after my post, I received a call from a local Green Party member. This woman was an avid supporter, who actually was with Stein several times during the campaign.  According to this source, the party itself did not support the recount, and it was more of a renegade action by the good doctor herself.  This was not my impression, or the premise of my previous post.  I also believe that it was not conveyed by the press, or is the perception by the general public.

As an advocate for independents and third parties, I find this revelation disappointing.  I knew that Gary Johnson was using the Libertarian Party as a vehicle for his campaign.  I assumed that Jill Stein was more married to her choice of parties.   However, I certainly understand the difficulty of running completely independently, with no party affiliation.

In photographs of the local Lehigh Valley recount, I recognized vocal Clinton supporters present.  The entire local recount only discovered a few absentee ballots which were not counted.   It in fact reaffirmed the integrity of the existing voting system.

Looking For A Cop In Allentown

If you were looking for a policeman Tuesday morning, you better have been on the second floor of Sacred Heart Hospital, because all the brass and most of the shift were there. It was another one of their Coffee with a Cop sessions.  Besides hospital personnel,  there were only a few community members present.  I confronted Chief Morris about what appeared to me to be a wasted use of manpower.   To his credit, Morris didn't take offense at my blunt assessment, and actually even explained the reasoning.  Police take many of the injured and distressed to that hospital, and this session allowed the hospital workers and police to meet personally, under much less stressful circumstances.

The next Cop and Coffee will take place at the Sunrise Diner on S. 4th Street.  Even I concur that spot will be a good location for community outreach.

Looking For A Motive In Ohio

Main stream media tells us that the authorities are looking for a motive as to why the young angry Muslim immigrant attacked people at Ohio State.  Needless to say, I find the inquiry mind boggling.  With open hearts and closed eyes we have become easy targets.  We worry more about xenophobia and political correctness, than security. Our college professors want to label our self preservation instincts as racist.  We hide from the reality of our enemy's blind hatred, and instead concentrate on weapons, like gun control. The weapons used in Ohio were a car and kitchen knife.

While our social scientists look for complex answers, hopefully our government will resort to simple procedures, like increased vetting.

During WW2, the navy didn't have time to psychoanalyze each kamikaze pilot.

Unfriending The Election Results

Before and since the election, I have been amused by reactions to Donald Trump. One facebook friend started to unfriend people yesterday that support Trump. Others are even less tolerant, and will unfriend those who don't loudly condemn Trump. They just cannot be associated with any possible connection to racism or xenophobia, even if contrived. I suspect that the next four years will be tough on them. Although, I do not believe that their characterizations are fair, this post isn't intended to defend Trump, but rather note the mindset of those so upset. Meanwhile, they feel free to viciously demonize, ridicule and mock anyone they suspect remotely connected to the evil one.

Counselors were actually recommending that family members didn't discuss the election at their Thanksgiving dinner. Nonsense like that makes bastards like me grin, and I don't smile that often.

The Marginalization of Dr. Stein

When Jill Stein campaigned for President she defended herself against taking votes away from Hillary.  She claimed that Hillary was just the status quo, and not really progressive.  The Green Party is now saying that they're not doing the recount for the benefit of any one candidate, but for democracy. Well, we know that they're not doing it for Jill, because she only got about 1% of the vote.  She is now getting more contributions for the recount than her campaign generated.  She has become a willing tool for those despondent over Hillary's loss.  Clinton's campaign staff will be on the ground monitoring the recount.

Trump's victory was pure democracy.  He had no get out the vote organization,  no ground game.  If history will show any shenanigans in the 2016 election, it will be in this recount,  not on November 8th.  As someone who ran himself for office twice as an independent,  I find this action disappointing.  It depreciates the Green Party to the children's Junior Achievement section of the Democratic Party. In essence, Stein is a front for Hillary to recant her concession.  Jill Stein's legacy will be the confirmation of Trump's victory, instead of the principles on which she had run.

Observations From An Old Allentown Meat Market

Card carrying members of this blog know that in addition to being a son of a bitch, i'm also the son of a butcher. Because my father had a meat market, I was impressed when Wegmans opened about 15 years ago. They raised the bar for local supermarket chains. Getting on their parking lot the day before Thanksgiving was a fool's errand, until this year. On Wednesday there were plenty of spaces, I couldn't even describe the store as very crowded. What happen? The simple answer would be more competition, with Hamilton Crossings and their new offerings. I actually think that  something else was also in play.

For the last several years, Wegmans had indulged in one remodeling project after another. Although new, changing and different might appeal to their clientele in upstate New York, I don't think that they understood local Pennsylvania Dutch thinking. Make it do, wear it out, use it up, do without has been the mentality here for generations. I found the continuous remodeling annoying, and with each improvement there seemed to be less customers.

This blog has received some complaints, mostly from my distressed Democratic readers, about straying too far from the valley with my recent election posts. I wouldn't expect to hear that beef about this entry.

Allentown As The Little Apple

Before we start, if you're looking for some nice holiday sentiment, click away now, it's not here. I've called Allentown the Little Apple, but that's unfair to New York City. The comparison gives Allentown too much credit, even with the Revitalization. Understand, that the entire revitalized area is primarily owned by just one person, and that's just too freakish for anywhere, even here. Understand, that we have a newspaper that not only doesn't question that, it promotes it. Understand, that we have a mayor who is the center of a FBI investigation, who goes around like nothing's wrong. Talk about an elephant, or hippo in the room.

 reprinted from November 2015

Obama Rewards Trump Bashers

Yesterday, President Obama bestowed the Metal of Freedom upon those celebrities who bashed Trump on Hillary's behalf during the recent presidential campaign. Among those being rewarded was Robert DeNiro, who wanted to punch Trump in the face. Others who met the criterion included Tom Hanks and Bruce Springsteen.

By now, some of you may realize that I'm using this post title as a teaser and introduction to a few other issues. The hot media topic, besides the election, is fake news. With declining hard copy newspaper sales, many readers are reducing themselves to just the titles of articles that appear on their mobile devices. Although the liberal left had declared Trump voters as low information people, that description crosses party lines.

Last, but not least, allow me to mention blogging and this site. Yesterday, I noticed that a few local readers believed that an associate broke an important story. Although, that particular blogger has indeed broken many stories, yesterday's post wasn't one of them, nor did he claim that it was. That false assumption was made by some of his readers, who apparently rely on a blog for local news. Although, I imply on my sidebar to have extra-terrestrial sources, it may not be totally true. Any insight I have about this valley is gleaned from every local news source that I can find, plus conversations with those few officials who still talk to me. Lastly, several readers have reprimanded me for posting on topics beyond the Lehigh Valley. As Steve Martin would say, EXCUSE ME.

The Alt-Left In America

Since Trump's election and Bannon's appointment, we hear of the Alt-right. Although this element is supposed to be the radical right, they were so quiet that nobody even expected Trump to win the election. They were so undemonstrative that nobody saw his victory coming. However, since Tuesday November 8th, what do we call those now acting out? The media has politely designated them protestors.

Vice President Pence went to a popular broadway show last week. The actors apparently couldn't resist the temptation to reprimand him from the stage after the show. Never mind that the new administration is still about 7 weeks away from assuming office, and at least months more from any policy change in this country. College presidents, including local ones from the Lehigh Valley, have signed a letter to Trump asking him to repudiate hatred against minorities. I didn't know that Trump invented bigotry or prejudice, but is apparently now responsible when it appears. I do know that nobody ever expected President Obama to address anti-Semitism on American campuses.

According to the left, everybody Trump considers for appointment is a racist. They have been using that derogatory term very loosely. Allow me to annoy my liberal readers a bit more. It wouldn't surprise me to find that some of the intolerant incidents being attributed to Trump supporters are in fact dirty tricks.    I suspect that most Trump supporters are content enough by the election results to relax. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the other side.

Obama Saves Planet Earth

You may recall that President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize before beginning his first term. It was bestowed upon him in hope of the change he promised to bring. Now, in an equally inspiring gesture, he has instructed his contemporaries in Europe to continue cooperating with the United States, even with Donald Trump. He has in essence given the world permission to keep turning, even with his departure. Now, if Germany and the other European nations do continue cooperating with the most powerful nation on earth remains to be seen, but they surely would not have without Obama's recommendation. They had been looking forward to weaning themselves against America's money in supporting NATO, United Nations and every other institution mostly bankrolled by United States. Some conservatives thought Obama was just an easy smile, with virtually no foreign policy chops, but this last trip sure set the record straight.

A draft of this post was inadvertently published for several minutes this past weekend.

John Bolton, A Man For The Times

Recently, a king maker in New Hampshire looked over Rick Santorum, and said that he had the right look to run for President. Nobody is saying that about John Bolton, but he has the right stuff. Bolton, in addition to being a former United Nations Ambassador, was involved in national security positions with both Bush Administrations. He may well be the most informed candidate, on national security issues, the Republicans could hope to find. He believes that Obama's foreign policy emboldens our enemies, and the recent North Korean aggression seems to bear that out. Domestically, he favors repealing old laws, not passing new ones. Although Bolton feels that Obama has put world interests ahead of that of United States, he realizes that after three and half years in office, Obama will be very articulate about world affairs. Nobody would have more international expertise, to go toe to toe with the smooth talking Obama, than John Bolton.

ADDENDUM: The above post is reprinted from December of 2010. At the time, I was hoping that Bolton would be a candidate against Obama in 2012.  Likewise, I was hoping that he would be a candidate in 2016. He is by far the most qualified of those now being considered by Trump for Secretary of State. Consideration for Bolton is being opposed by Rand Paul.  It's interesting how those in Washington who were outright opposed to Donald Trump, would now like to be his trusted advisers.

A Zionist For Steve Bannon

A local antagonist has on occasion tried to smear me by referring to me as a Zionist. Although, he has used other slurs, I never took offense at Zionist. Steve Bannon is currently being smeared by being labeled as an anti-Semite and a white supremacist, he is neither. These smears are the residual resentment about Trump winning the election. In this internet era, facebook is now examining what is becoming called fake news. It's all too easy to create a fake title, and now thousands, if not millions of people, believe it. In regard to another Trump associate, Kellyanne Conway, I have seen opposite titles for the same youtube. One title says watch her destroy Whoopie Goldberg. Another title says watch Whoopie destroy Conway. Both segments contained the same youtube. Often people don't even bother to watch the youtube, or read the article. They accept the title as gospel.  Not only are newspaper articles becoming passé, but now people only have time to scroll titles on their mobile devices.

Some readers prefer when this blogger sticks to local issues, like the parks and the NIZ.  I generally do see that as the niche that I best fill.  However, as an informed citizen blogger,  it is occasionally necessary to step outside that box.  As a Jew who sees no shortage of anti-semitism,  and Israel bashing,  I will defend those falsely accused.

I inadvertently published a draft of this post yesterday morning, for a minute or so.

Allentown School District Color Lesson

Shown above is one of the three finalists for Allentown School Superintendent.  All three are minorities, two blacks and a hispanic.  Part of the selection process requires meeting the parents and community,  and answering their questions.  The gentleman shown,  if selected, indicated that he would spend three months interviewing parents, before he designed a program for Allentown.  For these public interviews, the cast of Russ Mayo critics were present.  Mayo was the previous white superintendent,  apparently a mistake of color, which will not be made again.  Although, the school board is making the final choice,  they designed this politically correct dog and pony show.  Because the majority minority of the district is Hispanic,  if he can present himself as well as the two blacks,  he should be the odds on favorite.  If you detect disdain in my description of the criterion being used,  please do not protest outside the headquarters of  molovinsky on allentown.

photocredit:The Morning Call

Allentown's New Park Plan

A tradition almost 100 years old ended yesterday, as Allentown started to pave the bridal paths in Lehigh Parkway.   Although, they were equestrian friendly by design,  Pawlowski is now in high gear to extend bike paths, and defend the land he purchased from Abe Atiyeh two years ago.  The city received an $85,000 grant from Harrisburg to plan a new park near Basin Street,  incorporating that purchased land. Pawlowski has proclaimed that it will be called Central Park,  and attract more millennials, and eventually adjacent housing for them. Considering the neglected conditions in our existing park system,  the grant and plan symbolizes the illness of the Pawlowski administration. While the city applied for that grant, they ignored the neglect in all the existing parks.  Although, the collapsed portion of the Lehigh Parkway wall was rebuilt so that they could reopen the park entrance road,  the remainder of the wall received no attention.  The centerpiece, which is the double staircase, is literally falling apart.   The current park director, Lindsay Taylor, is as pliable as her predecessors.  She doesn't stand up to defend or repair the existing parks, and is instead apparently more concerned with her paycheck and resumé.

Pawlowski claims that this new park plan heralds back to previous plans under former director Greg Weitzel.  I attended his bike path meetings back then,  and there was no bike path proposed east of where  Martin Luther King Drive divides off of Union Street.  Paving the Parkway bridal path now is more part of a legal defense, than a park improvement.  The paving changes the nature of the Parkway from pastural to urban, instantaneously. 

Allentown hasn't had the funds to maintain the existing parks properly for over a decade.  There are less park employees now than ever.  So far,  both Allentown City Council and the Trexler Trust have also failed to insist on proper priorities for the existing park system.

ADDENDUM: Lamentations Of The Democrats

A reader suggested that I change the name of this blog to Molovinsky On Trump. He believes that I have abandoned my claim on being non-partisan. In reality, I never promoted Trump, but I did push back against the vitriol against him in the media and on facebook. Not suprisingly, my critic was one of the facebook intolerants. The Clinton campaign supposedly is blaming FBI Director James Comey for her lost. I believe that this campaign was decided before his notice to Congress. Some commentators believe that the Democrats should have gone with Sanders.   In truth, both parties went with their best candidate,  the one who won their primary.

Obama should speak out against the protests.  He seems to be practicing selective criticism in regard to properly respecting democracy. I never thought much of liberals thinking that Jon Steward,  Bill Maher, or SNL was a source of political insight.  Needless to say, none of the Hollywood elite have moved abroad.  However,  I believe that some of the smugness have been washed off their pretty faces.

ADDENDUM:  I took the unusual step of printing a blog post this weekend, because of the extraordinary contention against  Trump.  I will now take another unusual step, and incorporate that entry, with this addendum, into today's  edition.

If possible, I believe that the post election acrimony by the Clinton supporters towards Trump is worse than before the election.  I suppose that Trump's detractors never seriously considered him becoming president.  Now, that it actually happen,  even liberal lawyers are questioning the Constitutionally of the Electoral College.  While they previously condemned an obstructionist congress during Obama's term,  they are now plodding impeachment against Trump, less than one week after the election.  They are planning a one million women march in Washington, for the inauguration.  With all the plodding,  I have yet to read of one positive idea for their cause or the country. I have yet to hear either Obama or Clinton try to curtail this current negativity. The Clinton's blame their loss on James Comey, rather than her calling half the country deplorable.

I have maintained that protest against a lawful election in a democracy is inappropriate.  Others disagree,  believing such protest is completely legitimate.  I also find accusations of racism against Trump  unsubstantiated, and offensive.  I heard a Sunday talking head say that Trump should issue a statement to calm the public, worried about his racism.  I too believe that this segment must be calmed, but by those elements which made them hysterical in the first place.  That would be Obama, but then that might suggest that he indeed did perform as an alarmist,  prior to the election.

The Morning Call Almost Mentioned On CNN

The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll was almost mentioned by name on CNN last night.  Kellyanne Conway referred to a poll in eastern Pennsylvania,  where Ivanka had campaigned, which had gotten it very wrong.  The college poll had Hillary up by 6 points.  Of course, this is the same paper that wrote a story on the Wehr's Dam Referendum passing,  quoting someone who hasn't been recently active on the issue, but never mentioned yours truly.

Getting back to Muhlenberg, lets discuss these college fueled protests occurring across the country. You protest decisions by government, such as a particular war or policy. To protest the results of a fair, democratically held election is inappropriate.  I heard that at least one institution of higher learning was offering grief counseling.  I'm beginning to think that the problem in America is too much education. Maybe they should charge more interest on those student loans.

ADDENDUM: An article in Saturday's Morning Call tries to explain their poll errors.  Their pollster and Muhlenberg political science professor, Chris Borick,  now revises that he had Hillary ahead by 4, instead of 6.  At least the pollster at Franklin & Marshall conceded mistakes in his method.

Looking For That Rural Uneducated Male

In field under primitive conditions, searching for creature called Trump voter.  Please check back later this morning for post, after I return to civilization.

7:30AM.  On Wednesday, after hearing about all these uneducated males, I decided to take a field trip to the rural areas outside of Allentown.  One person after another insisted that he if fact had gone to college.  It's all very confusing. We know that many minorities drop out of high school,  but they're never referred to as uneducated.  We also learned that Hillary wanted to help everyone with their college loans.  So, if the minorities weren't Trump voters in the first place,  and so many people need help with their college loans,  who was that half of America so uneducated?

The media pundits are now saying that they must figure out what went wrong with their analysis, which led to so much egg on their collective faces. I suggest that they start with their elitist assumptions.  They assumed that only the uneducated could vote for Trump. I further suggest that their endless Trump bashing didn't erode his support, it only reenforced the public's perception of their arrogance.

I note that some segments of the media, such as Huffington Post, are still in last week's mode, insulting  Trump and his supporters.  They will only make themselves less relevant than before.  I note the protests in the large urban areas and colleges.  I note that the foamers on Facebook are still frothing at the mouth.

I apologize to my uneducated readers for having no picture with this post.  I have yet to return to molovinsky on allentown headquarters, which houses the photographic archives.

Classism and Elitism Defeated The Democratic Establishment

All you heard over the course of the campaign, was that Trump's base was only the white, uneducated males.  In the real world, millions of college educated males voted for Trump yesterday.  Even many of those college educated women, that Hillary took for granted, voted for Trump.

On Sunday night in Philadelphia, Obama ended his career by claiming that United States is more respected now than before, and that its workers are better off. Of course, as eloquently as Obama made those claims, and he is eloquent, Americans knew that those statements were simply not true. They knew that the economy and their prospects were stagnant. Their vote yesterday was for a shot at a better future.

Obama Preaches To The Choir In Philadelphia

On  Sunday morning, a black power broker from Philadelphia stated that Pat Toomey has done nothing for the black community in Philadelphia. A journalist present, explained that Toomey has been the leading conservative Republican for gun control, while shootings have taken the lives of almost three hundred  blacks a year in the City of Brotherly Love. The black broker replied,  but Toomey hasn't come to their churches, and spoken directly to them.

President Obama came Monday night, and not only spoke, but preached to the choir.  His sermon even had a well rehearsed amen in the background. His supporters claim that he is a legal scholar, but all I heard was a  politician, promoting another one. Obama started out at the Democrat convention twelve years ago, as an eloquent speaker promising hope and change.  Last night, he ended his career by wrongly claiming that United States is more respected now than before,  and that its workers are better off.  Although, he certainly remains as eloquent of a speaker as ever, and he may still even inspire hope,  he certainly brought no change.  In addition to Hillary, his sermon gifted McGinty, who besides being one of ten children, appears to have no qualifications.

There will be free rides in Philly today, just call Uber, and say that you're a cog in the vote machine. Additionally, a settlement was forced upon the SEPTA board, to maximize the turnout.  Last night, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen weren't the only showmen in Philadelphia.

Hillary Workers In Allentown

A facebook friend relayed the story that Clinton campaign workers, while canvasing the neighborhood, stopped in the church at 6th and Tilghman on Friday.  The workers, some Jewish and from as far away as California, found the former synagogue, turned church, architecturally interesting. I find it interesting that suburban liberals, from all over United States, end up at 6th and Tilghman, trying to squeeze out votes for Hillary. On Sunday, I bumped into a few of them myself.  They were from NYC, and one issue centric; Supreme Court appointments in regard to abortion.

The Clinton campaign had also hired professional firms nationwide to register the unmotivated to vote. Not exactly grass roots.  Hillary is hoping that Obama helps encourage the blacks to vote, and that Katy Perry and Beyoncé help encourage the millennials.  Meanwhile, while the celebrities are filling the arena for Clinton, Trump is attracting his crowds on his own. CNN,  trying to temper the weekend surge for Trump in the polls, has even speculated that there is hidden Hillary support, that will appear on election day.  I think that the early voting, essentially bought and paid for by the Clinton campaign, was their surge.

Getting back to 6th Street in Allentown, this time 6th and Linden.  The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College Poll has Clinton ahead by 6 points in Pennsylvania. While that figure is pure liberal wishful thinking,  which has become the wheelhouse of newspapers and colleges, it may prove to be embarrassingly inaccurate.

photocredit: The Morning Call, August 2016

For My Gun Rights, But Against The NRA

As a gun owner, I'm a supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Although, that is a right which I defend, as an engaged citizen I appreciate living in a society of laws. There are rights and laws, and we can all live within them. I do not blindly consider every regulation as a curtailment of my rights, or as a slippery slope which will erode them. I can exercise my rights in a responsible manner, without purposefully provoking those who feel differently about this issue.

Each November the NRA sends it's current and former members a card telling them whom they should vote for in their district, to protect their 2nd Amendment rights. Although, their member magazine often features hunting rifles, the organization must also think of their members as sheep, who should only care about one issue. As Americans we should guard our right to own firearms,  but never tolerate being told how to vote.

reprinted from December of 2014. Shown above is a 38 special, gifted upon Frank Sinatra by the Miami Beach Police & Firemen's Association.

New Graveside Tears

In August of 08, after about a year of blogging on conditions at Fairview, The Morning Call ran the story shown above. I did manage to organize a small meeting between the cemetery operators and the public later that fall. Yesterday I received the following comment, submitted to a posting from that period.

Patti from California has left a new comment on your post "New Graveside Tears":

My family is buried at Fairview and 2 weeks ago I visited and was appalled at the horrible conditions and total lack of maintenance throughout the cemetery. I have been trying to reach Loretta or David most of the summer and was told they had taken an extended trip out of the country. (business must be good) They seem to be back now - but still no way to actually talk to them.

My mother is 97 - plans to be buried there with her parents and my Dad. I could cry at the thought ....

I googled Fairview and was led to your blog. Loretta told me in May I could get our plot maintained if I invested in their endowment for $1000. After seeing the total lack of care there, I feel like I would be throwing the money away. What do other people think or do about this appalling condition?

I feel sorry for this family, Fairview may have been a well maintained place when the father was buried there many years ago. I believe the cemetery is in better condition than it was two years ago, but that's not saying very much. I will occasionally revisit this topic, to at least continue a small noise on behalf of these families.

reprinted from September of 2009

ADDENDUM: Over the years I have published numerous posts about Fairview Cemetery. Today and yesterday, I revisited the cemetery to cast light on a problem; Allentown's orphan cemeteries. Although Fairview isn't really an orphan, it shares the same issues as the West End Cemetery, in center city. Our esteemed mayor took it upon himself to purchase two unnecessary parcels, ostensibly to add to the park system. In addition to their cost, $1.5 million dollars, there will be upkeep expenses by an already underfunded park system. City hall should instead concentrate on these cemeteries, which have been problematic for decades.

A Blog and A Cemetery

About ten years ago, I began searching for the grave of a young Jewish woman, who died around 1900. Among several Jewish cemeteries no longer in use, I searched Mt. Sinai, a small section of the sprawling Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street, just west of the 8th Street Bridge. The cemetery is the history of Allentown past, including the graves of Harry Trexler, John Leh, and Jack Mack. As one proceeded deeper into the cemetery, away from sight on Lehigh Street, conditions worsened. As is the case with many old cemeteries, fees paid for perpetual care, 100 years ago, were long gone. Complicating the situation, the current private operator wasn't particularly assessable. In addition to extended family members upset about conditions, the situation was compounded by his refusal, with few exceptions, to allow private upkeep. My early posts on the situation drew response and phone calls from people with no interest in local political blogs; They were just exasperated relatives, with a family member buried long ago at Fairview. After beginning a series of posts, and letters to the editor, I prevailed upon The Morning Call to write a story one year later. The Call's story appeared on August 11, 2008. Within two weeks, the cemetery operator agreed to a public meeting I had organized at a local church. Arrangements were made between the operator and several parties. As with several of Allentown's older cemeteries, the issue of maintenance will be ongoing. This would be a worthwhile project for City Hall.

I have reprinted this post because of some inquiries about the conditions at Fairview.   

The Photography of K Mary Hess

K Mary Hess is an extraordinarily gifted landscape photographer, whose soft, sensitive use of color gives her images a painterly quality. Her page on Facebook, Photos Of Lehigh Valley, receives thousands of views each week.

Photos of Lehigh Valley Open House! 

This coming Thursday, November 3rd, the Bake Oven Inn in Germansville will be hosting a limited exhibit of Ms. Hess's work from 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Hosted at Curious Goods at the Bake Oven Inn
7705 Bake Oven Rd Germansville 18053
Come for fun ~complimentary hors d'oeuvres~beverages

Directions

Photography Page of K Mary Hess

Wehr's Dam Referendum

Readers of Bill White's Sept. 29 column learned that he felt that having two referendums on one ballot was in itself a problem for both of those questions.

South Whitehall residents will be asked to approve a new library and alsorenovations to Wehr's Dam. White wrote that bringing the dam into state compliance will cost close to $600,000. That's not true, but in fairness to White, that's how the township is presenting the issue.

The state inspection cited only a few minor issues and concluded that overall the dam is in "good condition." Throughout the decades, the township itself would make any required repairs to the dam. Under such an in-house procedure, the current repairs might cost $6,000. Allowing for a professional contractor, the dam repair could cost $60,000 to meet the state requirements.

However, the engineer hired by the township presented three options. Option No. 1 repaired the dam to meet state guidelines. Option No. 2 replaced one-third of the dam for $600,000. Option No. 3 would replace the entire dam at close to $2 million. While the three options allowed the township commissioners to present option No. 2 as a reasonable compromise, it is actually a deception that could do away with the dam. There is nothing in the state report even remotely suggesting that any portion of the dam itself needs to be replaced. It was the township's intention to come up with a price high enough to justify a referendum. Already, four years ago, the township's Park Master Plan, mostly formulated with input from the Wildlands Conservancy, recommended that the dam be demolished, but not for any structural problem. The cost to meet the state requirement should not be confused with some contrived replacement recommendation.

White went on to write that the dam rehabilitation would stretch over five years, and that it would add $76 to the average homeowner's bill. Once again, he was led astray by ambiguous information put out by the township. With over 8,000 properties in the township, that amount would generate $3 million over five years.

However, over a five-year period, it would cost homeowners only $17 a year to generate the $600,000 — something the township later acknowledged in a long note — a series of 13 questions and answers — to property owners inserted in their trash bills. With that note, I believe the township attempted to intimidate the voters against preserving the dam. The note does not state that it would cost $17 a year for five years until the 11th question.

South Whitehall chose an unnecessarily expensive option to repair the dam. It did this so residents would vote the dam away. The dam, considered low-hazard by the state, is a massive concrete structure, 6 feet wide at the bottom and sitting on an even more massive concrete platform. Unattended, it will last for another century. While no longer providing water energy for a grain mill, it is now a historical structure of charm, providing a beautiful sight as water flows over the dam and under the covered bridge.

South Whitehall's park policy is being driven by the Wildlands Conservancy and its general objection to dams, regardless of their significance. Wehr's Dam has been a destination for generations of residents and is the heart of the township's Covered Bridge Park. Although the recently released township magazine has a picture of the covered bridge on the cover, there is not one word about the dam or referendum. The township hopes that residents will reject the contrived, inflated price and tax assigned to preserving the dam and relieve the commissioners of any political consequence for that decision.

Ironically, White's column explains that the new library would contain a local history room. I can tell readers after attending all the township meetings for almost a year that the commissioners could care less about history. History starts with saving local structures, not misleading the public about preservation costs to justify unnecessary demolition. I urge South Whitehall residents to vote to keep the beauty and history of the dam, and then challenge the commissioners about the real cost of any necessary repairs.

Above is my op-ed piece, as it appeared in the Morning Call on Saturday.

ADDENDUM: An article in today's Morning Call on the referendum serves the Wildlands Conservancy well, as do the South Whitehall Commissioners. It doesn't mention that there was an economical third option,  to just repair the dam.

Welcome To The Vendig

In 1933, with the end of Prohibition, my grandparents(maternal) started operating the Vendig Hotel. They were the working partners, another immigrant family, here longer, were the silent backers. The hotel was directly across from the current Main Street Depot Restaurant in Bethlehem, which was the old New Jersey Line Terminal. With my grandmother cooking, they became well known for crab cakes and other shelled seafood. What wasn't known, was that she was strictly kosher, and never even tasted anything she prepared. As some may recall, my grandparents came from Hungarian Transylvania (now Romania) in the early 20's. Family lore* says Bela Lugosi visited the hotel. Lugosi was born in the same area of then Hungary, and started his acting career playing Jesus in Passion Plays. In 1931, after immigrating to America years earlier, he got his big break playing Dracula. Typecast as a villain, Lugosi was reduced in later years to drug addiction and playing in low budget monster films. He died in the mid 50's and was buried in his Dracula cape.

* My surviving uncle, who as a boy lived above the hotel, has no recollection of Lugosi. The partner families would later merge through marriage and 40 years later come to own the old vaudeville theater in South Bethlehem known as The Globe. It too is gone.                                                      reprinted from June of 2008