Promises, promises
It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Since 1952, Philadelphia has had a succession of Democratic mayors. This year we will elect a new mayor, and as I watch the TV ads, every Democrat is making promises. Stop gun violence, keep school children safe, create after-school diversion programs, school “safety” zones (whatever they are), get criminals off the streets, do something about drugs, repair the street lights, fill the potholes, remove abandoned cars, more money for police, community policing, sending social workers to deal with armed violent mental patients and so on. Makes me wonder what every Democrat mayor for the past 70 years has accomplished. Even the last 3, Kenney, Nutter and Street, have occupied City Hall while all of these problems went virtually unchecked, unsolved and ignored. Does anyone actually believe that any of these Democrats will change anything?
They promise everything and give nothing. Time for a change?
Jon F. Tucker
Somerton
Does anyone care?
More times than not, when a mass shooting occurs we hear about mental health issues. Well it is a fact that mental health disorders go back into the centuries. Some people indicate it is not the gun but the person behind it. They make a point, but the assault weapons that are used have a capacity of 600 to 800 rounds of bullets in a minute. Another weapon, which looks like a handgun, has the capacity of 1,200 bullets in a minute. People are able to get such weapons with little to no psychological background check. Who cares, is the question.
Marie Patton
Fox Chase
Favorite mini-walks
When I’m stressed by the noisy, crowded NE Philly streets, I love to get out of my car and walk our many pocket communities not far off the beaten path.
So quiet, you can hear all the bird chatter, smell the spring flower perfume and watch the “whirligigs” (maple seeds) dance.
Convent Lane below Frankford takes you back into earlier times, with no sidewalks (be careful), its old tree canopy and many pre-WWII homes. I can almost hear Hank Williams or Bing Crosby in the breeze.
Longford Street off of Holme Avenue was known as “Greenbelt Knoll,” racially integrated in the 1950s, with its 18 modern-design homes. It’s a ‘50s housing time capsule now and fits in with Sinatra’s fedora hat. Yet it is still a tiny wooded oasis.
So many little pockets of history. Walk the burial grounds around Pennepack Baptist Church, the oldest in PA, on the 8700 block of Krewstown Road, and your feet might tremble. The worn grave markers often predate the founding. Imagine dying here – before America was born.
Simple, I know. But it doesn’t cost you a penny. And as Thoreau said, “We should go forth on the shortest walk … in the spirit of undying adventure.”
Do you have any favorite little mini-walks of your own? I hope you’ll share them here. Or you can write me at post_rich@yahoo.com.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
Republican rhetoric
Usually on Thursdays when I get home from work, I look forward to reading the opinion page in this paper. I must say I got a good laugh as I read and was watching the evening news at the same time. I noticed the usual person Richard Iaconelli stating he is “a registered Democrat.” Well he can’t fool me. Ever since I’ve read the Northeast Times I’ve seen his comments taking up space with his Republican-type blame and rhetoric. Obviously he’s a Trump supporter like Fox so-called News is as guilty of misleading voters that the 2020 election was stolen and the voting machines were rigged. This guy’s comments are so suspect.
An unfortunate and recent tragic Nashville shooting where 3 children and 3 adults were gunned down at a school yet those on the “Right” talked about the shooter’s gender but not the act of carrying a deadly weapon of war and how the person was able to get such. These types of crimes are not isolated to just schools but any public place. It also comes in other forms, not just the mentally ill. Our city will continue to have gun-related issues until we have stricter gun laws and penalties, not greed. Regardless of who Philly’s next mayor is, this is a nationwide issue and those officials who claim to protect us need to do a lot better than just give lip service for votes.
Finally, let’s not fool ourselves. Stormy Daniels is not the only one Trump paid “hush money” to before the 2016 election to be quiet. Many are saying, “This indictment is unprecedented.” Well we never had a crook in the White House who was worse than Nixon (R). Trump should have never been elected with all his wayward behavior. He only ran to protect himself from the very system he thinks should have prosecuted others. What was part of the country thinking? The guy showed who he was before he got in office. Have we fallen so down that we could not reason and allowed emotions and fake news to steer us in the wrong direction of a moral decline? This is just the beginning of what he started. No one is above the law. You can’t point a finger at others without 3 more pointing back at you. Sad when your lawyers need lawyers. As the Capitol riot resurrection-horned Shaman is being released from prison early, another criminal is being indicted. Georgia and D.C. charges await. Think over it.
Carl Williams
Rhawnhurst
