The veep debate, in one image | Human Events

Keystone Report, a Pennsylvania-based news aggregator, reports that Mitt Romney called the Philadelphia student who was bullied by her Obama-supporting teacher for wearing a Romney/Ryan T-shirt to school.

Keystone Report says Romney called Samantha Pawlucy on Wednesday to offer her support and encouragement. Because of the publicity and hostile environment at the Philadelphia public school, the Pawlucy family is looking for a private school to send their daughter.

After the incident was publicized in a Philadelphia newspaper, the math teacher said she was just joking when she ordered the 15-year-old student to take off the shirt because the teacher was offended by it,  comparing it to wearing a KKK robe.

The student stayed away from school for several days and when she eventually returned, dozens of supporters greeted her outside the school.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has more on the family.

A tour bus used by former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell to push his big government agenda - at taxpayer expense - will be sold, Gov. Tom Corbett announced Wednesday.

Corbett called the bus a "white elephant" that cost Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $66,000 for maintenance "despite it being driven less than 26,000 miles in eight years."

It appears Rendell shot the transmission on the bus, leaving behind an anticipated repair bill of at least $5,000.

"My administration is committed to refocusing state spending on the core functions of government and that does not include maintaining a 41-foot motor coach that has largely sat in the garage," Corbett said in a press release. "This fiscal year alone taxpayers have paid for batteries, towing and window tinting. As of today, we will not ask taxpayers to put one more cent into the upkeep of this vehicle."

On a more serious note, Corbett has commissioned a review of the state's massive vehicle fleet to determine if the state can save money by reducing the number of vehicles it owns.

Read the full release at the link below:

Governor Corbett Sends Defunct Tour Bus to the Auction Block

Does it really matter whether 300,000 or 500,000 or 1 million people showed up for Glenn Beck's rally?

What matters is Nov. 2 - Election Day - when tens of millions of Americans can take their country back from the left-wing radicals.

On a side note, a person who was at the rally on Saturday (someone I trust) told me there were no more than 200-300 people at the Al Sharpton rally but the media reported 2,000-3,000 people there.

So it's clear the the liberal media has trouble counting. Whatever the number reported by the mainstream media for the Beck rally, multiply it by 10 and you'll get closer to the actual count.

Glenn Beck rally attendance: Calculating how many really showed up - CSMonitor.com

Fresh from resolving that Gulf oil spill business by giving another speech, President Barack Obama goes back to leisurely pace of his presidency. Obama took in a baseball game Friday between the Chicago White Sox and the Washington Nationals. See related story, "Barack Obama plays golf eight more times than George W. Bush," by clicking here.

There is little sympathy for the teen who ran onto the field at Monday's Philadelphia Phillies game only to be brought down by a Taser fired by a Philly police officer.

The vast majority of readers voting at The Mercury's Web site (nearly 8 in 10) say the teen deserved what he got.

Here's the question and the results so far.

Do you think the Boyertown teen should have been tasered for running onto the field during the Phillies' game?

Yes, he violated the rules, he deserved it. (78%)

No, it was excessive. (22%)

The story isn't getting the coverage it deserves from the corrupt mainstream media but the far left is so worried about the growing Tea Party movement that it is going public with plans to "infiltrate" Tea Party gatherings.

Obama disciples are being dispatched to Tea Party gatherings across the country to disrupt rallies and make Tea Party protesters look bad by shouting racial and anti-gay slurs or displaying signs with misspelled words to make Tea Party members look like "morons."

Jason Levin, founder of the Web site www.crashtheteaparty.org, told The Associated Press that the group has 65 campaign leaders in major cities across the country who are trying to recruit members to infiltrate tea party events for April 15.

Tea party groups are planning hundreds of demonstrations on Tax Day to protest runaway government spending, massive debt and higher taxes.

"Do I think every member of the tea party is a homophobe, racist or a moron? No, absolutely not," Levin told AP. "Do I think most of them are homophobes, racists or morons? Absolutely."

Speaking of morons, Levin apparently did not hear about the recent Gallup Poll that found that 51% of Tea Party members are independents or Democrats, most of them have college degrees and most of them earn good salaries. This dispels the liberal myth that Tea Party activists are uneducated far-right extremists.

A majority of Americans also agree with the Tea Party movement's call for lower taxes and lower spending, according to several recent polls. So, who's further away from mainstream America, Mr. Levin?

Read the radical left's manifesto at www.crashtheteaparty.org

A new Gallup Poll shatters the myth that the Tea Party movement is made up mostly of right-wing extremists. Sorry Mainstream Media. You've been caught with your pants down again.

If anything, the poll exposes how far left-wing extremists who populate the news media have gone to vilify the Tea Party movement.

Some highlights from the USA Today/Gallup Poll:

Tea Party supporters skew right politically; but demographically, they are generally representative of the public at large. That's the finding of a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted March 26-28, in which 28% of U.S. adults call themselves supporters of the Tea Party movement.

Tea Party members consist of 43 percent Independents and 8 percent Democrats. That's 51 percent, also known as a majority. The poll finds 49 percent of Team Party members are Republicans.

Another liberal media myth shot down: Tea Party members are uneducated. The Gallup poll finds that 65 percent of Tea Party members have some college education. The poll found 34 percent had some college background, 16 percent were college graduates and 15 percent had postgraduate experience.

From Gallup: "A separate question included in the March 26-28 poll showed that 37% of Americans view the Tea Party movement favorably and 40% unfavorably, with the remainder expressing no opinion."

Sounds like the Mainstream Media is in the minority in vilifying the Tea Party movement. They used the same tactics in 2008 to denigrate Sarah Palin. What is the media afraid of?

To review the full Gallup Poll results, click here.

Pitching ace Roy Halladay was dominating on the mound and Ryan Howard hit his first homer of the season as the Philadelphia Phillies began their defense of the National League Pennant by crushing the Washington Nationals, 11-1, to win their 2010 opener Monday afternoon.

Now that's the way to start the season.

Oh yeah, some guy named Barack Obama threw out the first pitch.

Halladay struck out nine batters in seven innings of work, allowing one run, six hits and two walks in his National League debut.

Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer to right field in the fourth to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

Third-baseman Placido Polanco, making his return to the Phillies, had six RBIs, including a grand slam in the fourth inning that put the game away.

Game 1 of the 2010 World Series is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 27. Halladay is penciled in to start that game. See you then.

Keep up with the Phillies at the team's Web site.

With the recent death of Rep. John Murtha, fellow Democrat Charles Rangel has a clear path to the title of the most corrupt member of Congress.

Just days after Nancy Pelosi defended Rangel despite serious ethical violations, Rangel has resigned as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

It's a step in the right direction, but it also shows how corrupt Congress has become under the Pelosi regime.

From POLITICO:

Neither power nor popularity could save Charles Rangel from himself.

The affable, quotable and often jovial New York Democrat stepped down from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee Wednesday because his fellow Democrats feared that ethics investigations into Rangel's personal finances, travel, living arrangements and use of his office posed a grave threat to their chances in November's elections.

Rangel says he's stepping aside only temporarily, but he officially resigned the post in a letter submitted to the House Wednesday morning. Technically, he could be restored by a future House vote, but that's a political long shot given that he was forced aside by ethics troubles.

It was not immediately clear who would take the committee's reins in Rangel's absence, with some insiders predicting it would be the next man in line, California's Pete Stark, and others predicting it would be Sander Levin of Michigan. Under House rules, Stark is chairman unless Democrats act affirmatively to put someone else in his place, according to a House GOP aide familiar with House operations.

Read the full story at the link below:

Charles Rangel gives up gavel - Jonathan Allen and Jake Sherman - POLITICO.com

Barack Obama campaigned for Democrat Creigh Deeds in the Virginia governor's race ... and Deeds lost.

Barack Obama campaigned for Democrat Jon Corzine in the New Jersey governor's race ... and Corzine lost his bid for re-election.

Barack Obama campaigned for Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race ... and Coakley lost to underdog Scott Brown.

Today, Barack Obama campaigned for embattled Senate Leader Harry Reid, who is trying to win re-election in his native Nevada. Good luck with that.

The death of powerful Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha brought all sorts of reaction from political figures in Pennsylvania and across the nation. Here's a sampling:

"Jack was a devoted husband, a loving father and a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years. His passion for service was born during his decorated career in the United States Marine Corps, and he went on to earn the distinction of being the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Jack's tough-as-nails reputation carried over to Congress, where he became a respected voice on issues of national security. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of nearly 55 years, Joyce, their three children, and the entire Murtha family." — President Barack Obama.

"He was a public servant in every sense of the word and his passing is a great loss to all of Pennsylvania," said Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa.

"He was a good friend to me and my family for years. He was one of the first people to say to my father (the late Gov. Robert P. Casey) after he'd lost three times that he'd support him the fourth time for governor, and believed in him when a lot of folks didn't." — Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.

"Jack Murtha didn't just worry about his district. He worried about all of Pennsylvania and in some ways he worried about the entire country. He was really the congressman for the entire state of Pennsylvania. Sort of a super, uber-congressman," said Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa.

"(Murtha) served his country as a Marine in Vietnam and in Congress for more than three decades. He worked hard for western Pennsylvania and he consistently guarded the interests of our men and women in uniform," — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

"Today, our nation has lost a decorated veteran and the House of Representatives has lost one of its own. I was saddened to hear of John Murtha's passing, and my thoughts and prayers are with his friends and loved ones," — Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.

"He's bigger than life in so many ways. ... He's a strong and powerful political titan, yet he's very human and very soft-spoken. He wasn't a table-banger in any sense of the word," — Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney.

"While the congressman and I often differed when it came to politics, he always had my deepest respect. The thoughts and prayers of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania go out to Jack’s family," — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason.

"Jack served his country in uniform and in Congress for many years, and his service will long be remembered and appreciated by the people of Pennsylvania." — U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey

"John Murtha may have represented Western Pennsylvania, but he was the voice of hard-working Democrats across the Commonwealth. Representative Murtha's service to his country and the strength of his convictions made him a powerful force to be reckoned with on Capitol Hill. His career took him from Parris Island to Vietnam, from Harrisburg to Washington, D.C. He was a leader until the end, fighting for American values and middle class ideals. He stood up for veterans and stood firm in his beliefs, not caring as much about political expediency as what he thought to be in the best interest of his constituents and his country. I am deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Murtha and extend my deepest condolences to his family." — Pa. Sen. Democratic Leader Robert Mellow.

Time magazine is focusing national attention on the ongoing political corruption scandals in Harrisburg.

From an article by Sean Scully posted at Time.com:

Pennsylvania has long been known for shady politics, but this year promises to be particularly ugly as series of corruption trials unfold, all stemming from a sweeping probe known as "Bonusgate." Prosecutors charge that leaders of both parties in the state House of Representatives flagrantly ignored the law, using taxpayer money to wage political warfare and to lavish perks on aides and party loyalists. The price tag is likely in the tens of millions, and prosecutors warn there could be more indictments, possibly targeting leaders of the State Senate. "There was an unbelievable sense of entitlement in Harrisburg that they could do this with a high degree of immunity," said Chris Borick, political science professor at Muhlenberg College.

Read the full article at the link below:

Corruption Scandal Scrambles Pennsylvania Politics

From a press release issued by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):

During a town hall meeting Tuesday on health care reform, Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) stated his opposition to legislation that would cover illegal aliens. Specter has been a long-time champion of amnesty for illegal aliens, he was the author of the 2006 amnesty bill (S. 2611) that was widely rejected by the American people. Specter's opposition to including illegal aliens under the proposed reforms is a clear indication of how strongly the public opposes the idea.

Facing constituents in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, yesterday, Specter said he "wouldn't support a bill that extends coverage to illegal immigrants." However, Specter went on to state erroneously that "none of the bills in Congress would provide health insurance to illegal immigrants."

Will Specter keep his word? I don't know. He's an opportunist and if Obama puts enough pressure on him, Specter would sell out his Pennsylvania constituents.

Read the full release at the link below:

Specter Promises to Oppose Health Care Reform That Covers Illegal Aliens

Less than a week after a district judge threw out the case citing a lack of evidence, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has refiled corruption charges against former state Rep. Mike Veon, the onetime No. 2 Democratic leader in the state House of Representatives.

This time, Corbett wants a real judge -- someone on the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas -- not a district justice -- to hear the case.

That makes a big difference. District judges are elected locally and do not have to have any legal background. (In two local races for district judge in the Pottstown area, a hairdresser and a landscaper were on the ballot.)

The attorney general's office also asked for the proceedings against former Beaver County Rep. Mike Veon and his district office supervisor, Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink, to be heard by a Dauphin County Common Pleas judge.

District judges often make bad decisions and the AG obviously believes Harrisburg District Judge Joseph Solomon was over his head in one of the biggest corruption cases brought against a powerful political figure.

Mike Veon and his district office supervisor, Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink are accused of illegally diverting taxpayer dollars through the Beaver Initiative for Growth, a nonprofit agency he controlled, to hire consultants, rent office space and handle various political and legislative chores, according to The Associated Press.

They are both charged with theft, misapplication of entrusted property, conflict of interest and conspiracy, the wire service reports.

From The Associated Press:

Judge Solomon prosecutors argued, improperly let defense lawyers delve into irrelevant issues and inadmissible evidence during an eight-hour preliminary hearing last week to determine if the case should advance to county court.

"It is clear from (his) comments that he expected the commonwealth to present 'conclusive' evidence or proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," wrote Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony Krastek. "This is contrary to the well-established standard applied to preliminary hearings."

Barack Obama has found the perfect Supreme Court nominee in Sonia Sotomayor.

Far-left radical. Check.

Judicial Activist. Check.

Female. Check.

Minority. Check.

Those appear to be Sotomayor's chief qualifications for serving on the Supreme Court.

This is a woman who has said publicly that "empathy" is as important as the law when considering cases. From The Washington Post: Sotomayor "has stirred controversy by saying that judges' legal findings are informed by their own life experiences as well as their legal research."

This is a woman has has stated publicly (it's on tape) that judges have a policy-making role. And I thought the Constitution reserved that right for the Legislative branch. Has Sotomayor ever read the Constitution?

This is a woman who believes in racial quotas and supports partial-birth abortion.

This is the country's worst nightmare in electing Barack Obama last November. The radicals will take over the Supreme Court and will change this country by decree.

It's clear that the Sotomayor nomination is payback to the far-left loons who helped Obama get elected. Obama did not pick the most qualified person for the job, just someone who fit the liberal stereotype of a judge.

From The New Republic:

The most consistent concern was that Sotomayor, although an able lawyer, was "not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench," as one former Second Circuit clerk for another judge put it. "She has an inflated opinion of herself, and is domineering during oral arguments, but her questions aren't penetrating and don't get to the heart of the issue."

Which carries more weight among Republican voters: The state GOP committee's endorsement or the backing of two of the state's biggest newspapers?

Three Republicans are running for the party's nomination to seek a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. All three are currently serving on the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

The state party is backing Judge Joan Orie Melvin. The other candidates are Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen and Judge Paul Panepinto.

All three candidates earned a "highly recommended" designation from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, but Allen has picked up key media endorsements

Allen is recommended by two of the state's leading liberal newspapers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Will the endorsements help or hurt Allen? We'll find out on May 19.

Allen has also been endorsed by LifePAC and Firearms Owners Against Crime.

Melvin has her own impressive list of endorsements including: PA Chamber of Business and Industry; PA State Troopers Association; PA State Corrections Officers Association and the NRA.

Panepinto is endorsed by LIFEPAC 2009 and the NRA.

The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat Jack Panella, also a Superior Court judge, who is running unopposed.

For more on Allen, check out her campaign Web site.

For more on Melvin, check out her campaign Web site.

For more on Panepinto, visit his campaign Web site.

From The Associated Press: In this Sept. 12, 2008, file photo Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at the McConnell Center in Dover, N.H. "I can make a firm pledge," he said there. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." That pledge went up in smoke Wednesday, April 1, 2009, when the largest increase in tobacco taxes, took effect, a tax that disproportionately affects the poor.

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That's what 137 guilty verdicts looks like. A jury has found former state Sen. Vince Fumo, a Philadelphia Democrat and longtime political ally of Gov. Ed Rendell, guilty of all 137 counts in his five-month-long corruption trial.

The verdicts may not mean much to the average Philadelphia resident, but should send shock waves down the spines of Harrisburg politicians.

Taxpayers are fed up with self-serving professional politicians. Pennsylvania residents have had it with corruption. Vince Fumo, at age 65 and with a bad heart, probably will spend the rest of his life behind bars. And he'll going to have plenty of company.

Don't be surprised if the 12 "Bonusgate" defendants start looking for a plea bargain in return for testifying against the bigger fish up the food chain.

In today's climate, you don't want to take your chances with jurors who are looking to punish the people who have lined their own pockets at taxpayers' expense.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy says 8 out of 10 fathers don't ever marry the teen mother of their child.

Hello Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin.

"Marriage and birth patterns among teens have changed over time, shifting from a general trend of marrying before pregnancy, to marrying as a result of pregnancy, to becoming pregnant and not marrying," said Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "Even though many unmarried teen mothers have high expectations for eventually marrying the father of their child, few ever do."

Read more at the link below:

Teens, Relationships, and Marriage