Philadelphia Police Caught Assaulting Protester, Lied & Forced to Pay $31,000 in Damages

Philadelphia Police Caught Assaulting Protester, Lied & Forced to Pay $31,000 in Damages Score one for justice! I am glad that fellow activist and rabble rouser Khadijah White Costley got justice from the Philadelphia Police Department.  In today’s Daily News, Helen Ubiñas reported that Khadijah White Costley was awarded $31,000 in an excessive force lawsuit filed against the Philadelphia…

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Does PPD Union President Deserve a Mayoral Thank You?

Does PPD Union President Deserve a Mayoral Thank You? When speaking about the falling crime rates at a press conference earlier this week, Mayor Michael nutter offered a thank you to someone who really doesn’t a mayoral thank you.  That person was Philadelphia Police Union President John McNesby.  The small quib was mentioned in a Philadelphia Inquirer article…

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In 2015, We’re Going to Establish a Progressive Voice in Harrisburg

In 2015, We’re Going to Establish a Progressive Voice in Harrisburg Here are some “New Year’s resolutions” that I want for the Raging Chicken Press and the Rick Smith Show. For the past year and a half, I have been working full-time hours with part time pay at a large beer distributor in suburban Philadelphia, and…

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PA Republican Lawmaker Supports the Blue Coup; Takes Selfies With NYPD Officers

PA Republican Lawmaker Supports the Blue Coup; Takes Selfies With NYPD Officers After the ambush murders of two NYPD officers by a mentally ill man, NYPD union president – Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association – Pat Lynch blamed supporters of Eric Garner and Michael Brown and Mayor Bill De Blasio for the murders of Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.  Then in a…

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Pennsylvania Republicans Name Union Busting Law After Conservative Activist

Pennsylvania Republicans Name Union Busting Law After Conservative Activist Usually naming laws after people is reserved for bringing positive legislative triumphs out of tragic events. Lawmakers passed Kevin’s Law earlier this year, closing a loophole in state law that allowed drunk drivers to avoid DUI charges by fleeing the scene of a crash. It was named for 5-year-old Kevin…

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Right-Wing Activists Lining Up Behind ESU President, Marcia Welsh

Right-Wing Activists Lining Up Behind ESU President, Marcia Welsh Last week, I published a frustrated tirade about the latest social media blunder of East Stroudsburg University’s president Marcia Welsh. As you know, Welsh tweeted out a picture of her posing with a group of half-clad male students calling themselves “The Hawthorne Hotties.” The Hotties are a…

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Cheyney U’s “Bleak Future?”: Rick Smith Talks to APSCUF President about Auditor General’s Report:

Cheyney U’s “Bleak Future?”: Rick Smith Talks to APSCUF President about Auditor General’s Report: Yesterday, Pennsylvania’s Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a report that should be a clarion call for action concerning the future of the nation’s first historically black university: Cheyney Univesity. The summary of the report began: Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said that the…

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Delaware Riverkeeper Network Press Release on NY State’s Fracking Ban

Delaware Riverkeeper Network Press Release on NY State’s Fracking Ban As a new Governor readies himself to take office in Harrisburg, one thing is likely not to change: Pennsylvania’s cozy relationship to big oil and gas and hydraulicfracturing or “fracking.” The Wolf team spoke to Politics PAafter Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on fracking in New…

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