Constructive Engagement with Iran

Taking exception

POSTED: October 25, 2009

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I must take exception to your editorial "Sanctions may not be the answer with Iran." In August of 2005 I met with senior Iranian administration officials in Tehran in connection with my Human Rights and specifically with my Women's Rights work in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. I was challenged by a deputy minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran as to what it would take to have peace with the U.S. I explained that we would never go against out great friend and ally Israel. The Iranians had several important concessions which would help Israel including a solution to Israel's critical need for potable water, oil, and defense. Iran was willing to back the effort to pipe fresh water from Turkey through Syria and Lebanon which would allow Israel to grow and prosper. They were willing to support the reopening of the oil pipeline through Iraq and Jordan to supply Israel's energy needs. They would also create a demilitarized zone around Israel which would remove the Hezbollah threat on Israel's northern border and work to stabilize the situation in the Gaza. In addition Iran would work with us to stop the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In exchange for these considerations Iran sought two items of its own. They required Human Rights for all Jews, Christians and Muslims in Israel and the occupied territories and a normalization of trade with the US.
To prove their bona fides I spoke with Hassan Rouhani the National Security Advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader the actual ruler of their country and with his brother the deputy Ambassador to the United Nations. Both men assured me of the sincerity of the offer.
Our efforts with Iran fail because instead of the "carrot and the stick" approach all we offer is the stick. Our success in Iraq is due in great part to the cooperation of Iran but we give nothing in return. It is time to entertain a policy of constructive engagement.
Barry O'Connell
Montoursville
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom

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Liz Miele for Williamsport City Council?

Have you met Liz Miele, candidate for Williamsport City Council?

Roots in Williamsport

Born and raised in Williamsport, I'm the third generation of my family to live in the city. After graduating from Williamsport Area High School, I attended Brown University in Providence, RI where I received my B.A. in Italian Studies. I traveled and lived around the country, but my strong family ties to the Williamsport area, the pleasures of small city life, and my love of the beautiful Susquehanna River Valley made me choose to move back to Williamsport. I hope to make that decision even easier for other young residents of Williamsport by making this an even better city, full of opportunities (and jobs!) for our kids.

Working for Williamsport

I have worked at my family’s restaurant, the Peter Herdic House in Williamsport Historic District, since I was 14 years old. Now that I’m the executive chef, my kitchen sources from more than 30 different local farms and businesses helping to support the local economy. When I was 25, I founded the all-volunteer Williamsport Guardian newspaper to provide a voice for Williamsport’s younger generation. At 27, I helped to found the Williamsport Community Garden Project, to open up gardening spaces to city center residents by establishing community gardens throughout Williamsport. These ventures demonstrate my passion and enthusiasm for Williamsport, which I will take to the next level when I join the ranks of Williamsport City Council.

The Future of Williamsport
When I’m elected to Williamsport City Council in November, I will work cooperatively with all members of city government to put the people of Williamsport first and to make city government open and accessible to everyone. I will work diligently to bring higher paying jobs to our city. I will work to make downtown Williamsport even more vital and to focus on Williamsport’s many other neighborhoods. I will work to expand the tourism potential of our city and our region, with an eye toward sustainable economic and environmental development. I will work to protect our historic heritage, but also encourage new avenues to better our quality of life, such as public art initiatives, park renovation and biking and walking routes. I will work to better city infrastructure, so that all of our citizens can walk, ride, and drive safely on city streets and sidewalks. I’ll do this because I know that Williamsport is a great city and I pledge to make it even better city during my council tenure.

Can you help me write the recipe for an even better Williamsport?

Contact me via email, blog or phone to let me know what issues you think are important in Williamsport. Volunteer to spread the word.

And most importantly...Vote Liz Miele on November 3 to move our city forward!

Sincerely,

Liz Miele

Phone 570.326.0411

Email lizmielecouncil@yahoo.com

Visit lizmielecooks.com

Sun Gazette: Pompous decision Letter

Pompous decision

POSTED: October 20, 2009

The sad irony of the votes by City Council members Fausnaught, Whaley, Hall and Williamson against obtaining a federal grant for more police officers is that these very same council members recently voted against a $4 million retail development on Mulberry Street. That very development would have produced nearly $100,000 per year in annual taxes, more than enough to cover the "shortfall" that prevented these members from accepting the grant.

How pompous it is for the four of them argue about the rising costs of city government while they are the very ones responsible for this loss of revenue.

John Albarano II

President

Albarano Construction

Williamsport

Marcellus Shale drilling activity robust despite low natural gas prices

Buzz up!

By Rick Stouffer, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 1, 2009

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The number of natural gas wells permitted and drilled in the Marcellus Shale formation, including Western Pennsylvania, continues to climb despite the lowest natural gas prices in seven years, officials said.

Companies and industry experts say the close proximity of the Marcellus region to the huge East Coast natural gas market and lower drilling costs due to a recession-caused slowdown nationwide combine to keep activity humming here.

"We anticipated we would issue 700 Marcellus Shale drilling permits for the year, but we surpassed that figure before midyear," said state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Rathbun.

Through Aug. 21, the DEP issued 1,067 Marcellus Shale drilling permits. That compares to 476 drilling permits issued for all of last year. The number of Marcellus Shale wells drilled through Aug. 21 totaled 283, up 45 percent from 2008's 195 total.

Low natural gas prices have yet to slow Marcellus drilling activity, though some companies working here are retrenching in other areas of the country. Even a possible shortage of natural gas storage may not slow Marcellus activity, experts said.

"The production costs for shale plays in the Rocky Mountains probably are $1 or $2 more per thousand cubic feet of natural gas compared to the Marcellus," said Mary Novak, managing director of Energy Services for IHS Energy Insight, of Lexington, Mass.

"The market right now is bad in terms of prices, but operators in the Marcellus have an advantage in that they garner high prices due to their location in relation to the East markets," said Rick Gordon, an independent oil and natural gas consultant based in Overland Park, Kan.

The Marcellus is a level of shale deep under about 65,000 square miles of territory in portions of New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Virginia. Latest estimates indicate it may hold enough natural gas to meet the country's needs for more than a decade.

Today, about 51 companies have staked a claim in the formation, including 20 of the country's top 100 operators and two of the top three.

Independent exploration-production companies such as Range Resources Corp. of Fort Worth, EOG Resources Inc. of Houston, Anadarko Exploration & Production Co. LP, of The Woodlands, Texas, and Ultra Resources Inc. of Englewood, Colo., are paying $3 million to $4 million per well to tap the Marcellus.

The Energy Information Administration reported last week that the amount of natural gas in storage hit 3.26 trillion cubic feet, the highest amount on record for August, enough to meet the country's natural gas needs for 54 days.

Storage capacity nationwide is thought to be about 4 trillion cubic feet, but that's an estimate because the industry never has reached that figure.

Carney reports for active duty

Carney reports for active duty

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Christopher Carney (D-10) has reported for active duty at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia where he will serve through October 13. One of only three Members of Congress currently serving in uniform, Congressman Carney has been in the Navy Reserves since 1995. He was promoted to the rank of Commander last spring and the promotion became official on September 1, 2009. Carney was one of only 34 reserve intelligence officers to receive a promotion to Commander this year. “Wearing the uniform is a duty the Congressman takes very seriously,” said Carney Communications Director Vincent Rongione. “When you make a commitment to the military, it is not just an expectation but it is an honor to fulfill that commitment.” Congressman Carney is a Predator Mission Commander, and will be involved with the Predator and Reaper Missions in Iraq and Afghanistan while on active duty. Carney was activated for Operations Southern Watch, Nobel Eagle, and Enduring Freedom. All of Congressman Carney's offices in Pennsylvania and Washington, DC will remain open to assist constituents while he is serving on active duty.

Ebell on Jefferson and Adams

Myron Ebell is a friend and a man I admire greatly. It was good to see this article in a British Paper:

Vexing the ghost of Thomas Jefferson

By Daniel Hannan Politics Last updated: August 7th, 2009

American idealism is infectious. I’m as cynical about my own country’s political system as the next world-weary Brit. But, whenever I go to Washington, I give in to that guileless enthusiasm which foreigners so often dismiss as naïveté. Like the James Stewart character in Mr Smith goes to Washington, I goggle reverently at the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the Battle Hymn of the Republic swelling in my mind. As regular readers will know, Thomas Jefferson is one of my heroes: he kept alive in North America a strain of British liberty that has all but perished from the mother country. So, at any rate, I have always believed.

I’ve just spent three days in Washington meeting the various conservative think-tanks and institutions: Heritage, Young America’s Foundation, the extraordinary Nordquist Wednesday meeting - plus a detour to the Fox studios in New York. The highlight was a private meeting with the 40 GOP Senators: the only time in my life that I’ve felt overawed before a speech. It was all put together by a wonderful woman called Lori Roman who runs Regular Folks United: if you’re American, and you haven’t yet come across her web page, go there now.

I gave the same message everywhere. Americans should cleave to their Jeffersonian heritage. Their country was founded on a series of premises: that concentrated power corrupts; that jurisdiction should be dispersed; that decision-makers should be accountable; that taxes should not be raised save by elected representatives, nor laws passed without popular consent; that the executive should be answerable to the legislature. In the current rush to statism - the bail-outs, the nationalisations, the stimulus spending, the profusion of federal programmes and tsars, the cap and trade rules, the state takeover of healthcare - America is breaching every one of these precepts. If we could hear clanking, I told my audiences, it was the noise of Jefferson’s shade rattling his chains.

This went down well, as you’d expect. Americans, like everyone else, are generally wiser than their politicians. But my paean of praise to their third president elicited a fascinating response from an exceptionally clever and thoughtful man called Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute. (The CEI, by the way, is an outstandingly meritorious outfit, even by the standards of conservative Washington, in that it never makes the mistake of confusing the pro-business case with the pro-market case. But I digress). Myron was kind enough to write at some length explaining that it was Jefferson’s predecessor, John Adams, who was, perversely, the true Jeffersonian. Myron’s reasoning is so taut and provocative that I reproduce his email in full below. It’s quite a dilemma for me, though. I’d like to cling to my Smith-like idealism. On the other hand, I have seen enough of politics to know that Myron makes a convincing case. What do you think?

“On thinking in the U. S. about the division and dispersal of power, it was not Jefferson but John Adams who was the major figure. Indeed, Jefferson was on the other side, although his rhetoric was designed to mislead. Jefferson may have said that that government is best which governs least, but he never had a useful thought about how to keep limits on government except to recommend revolution in every generation. Which is of course disastrous. But he was a very silly man - a true, because superficial and calculating, product of the Enlightenment. While Adams was horrified by the French Revolution as soon as Burke was, Jefferson was still enthusiastic even after the terror had begun. Jefferson was the inventor of faux egalitarianism, which was a way of keeping the enlightened patrician (and slave-owning) class in power based on the rationale that they were protecting the interests of common folk. FDR and Teddy Kennedy are the direct descendants, and indeed Jefferson was FDR’s hero and model of a patrician who protected the interests of his class by “representing” and looking out for the working man. Jefferson founded the Democratic Party. The Republican Party was founded on the ruins of the Whig Party which was founded on the ruins of the Federalist Party. Unlike Jefferson, Adams was obsessed with how to keep elites in check by dividing power and balancing power against power. In this he is in the tradition of Harrington and Montesquieu and Hume rather than of Locke (Jefferson on the other hand admired Rousseau). He was the deepest thinker of the Revolution and also the most important political figure (as distinguished from leader) - he made the strategy that led to independence, he led the public campaign for independence, and was the leading proponent for independence in the Continental Congress both rhetorically and behind the scenes. He chose Jefferson to write the Declaration, chose Washington to lead the army, and was appointed by the Continental Congress to be supply master of the army before he was sent to Paris to gain French support (which won the war), which Franklin might have accomplished, but seemed in no hurry to do. There were of course good Virginians besides Washington (a poor general but a great leader who preferred acting nobly to gaining power), especially George Mason and Patrick Henry, and, in the younger generation, John Marshall, whom Adams appointed chief justice after being defeated by Jefferson in the 1800 election. Madison was a brilliant thinker but a follower influenced by whoever his leader and hero was at the moment. Thus, his role in the constitutional convention and in writing the Federalist Papers was supremely constructive. Later under Jefferson’s influence, he was a disaster, even worse as president than Jefferson (for example, they both intentionally let the Navy, which Washington and Adams had built up at great financial and political cost in order to prevent war with England or France, go to pot). A final distinction that separated the Federalists and Anti-federalists. Adams was vehemently opposed to slavery (and his son became the anti-slavery leader in Congress in the 1830s after his presidential term). Jefferson and Madison were not and were comfortable with the attitudes that made slavery acceptable. But this was not just a North-South divide or a division between slave owners versus yeoman farmers and merchants. Washington wrote in a private letter that he feared the Union would break up over slavery and if that happened he would have to leave Virginia and abandon his house and plantation and fortune and throw in his lot with a State that had abolished slavery. I have gone on about this because I think the past informs the present most usefully if we get our story straight.”

Tags: Competitive Enterprise Institute, federalism, Heritage Foundation, John Adams, Lori Roman, Mr Smith goes to Washington, Myron Ebell, Regular Folks United, Young America's Foundation

Loran Wo lfgang, 73 RIP 1979

WOLFGANG, Loran, 1906-1979
Dalice (View posts) Posted: 19 Jan 2007 1:30AM GMT
Classification: Obituary
Surnames: WOLFGANG, YODER, KETTERER, KOSCIL, PETROCK, PHILLIPS, DURKIN, WALTERS
From Newspaper of Friday, November 23, 1979

Loran Wolfgang, 73, of 120 W Arch St, Frackville, died Thursday morning at his home from an apparent heart attack. He was a native of Pitman.
Mr. Wolfgang, a son of the late, Oliver and Clara (Yoder) Wolfgang, lived in Frackville most of his life.
Retired since 1961, he worked at the Frackville Shops for over 30 years. He was a member of First Union Methodist Church, Frackville.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolfgang would have celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary in January.
Surviving are his widow, the former Mabel K. Ketterer, a daughter, Audrey, wife of Robert Koscil, of Frackville; three sons, Harry, of Manville, NJ; Loran and James, of Frackville; four sisters, Pauline, wife of Michael Petrock, of Chester; Jean, wife of John Phillips, of Chester; Mrs. Violet Durkin, of Tower City; Mrs. Minnie Walters, of Middletown; a brother, Edward, of Frackville; seven grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Services will be held Monday afternoon from the First Union Methodist Church, Frackville, with the Rev Dale Lewis Miller officiating. Interment will be in the Greenwood Cemetery, Frackville. Nice Funeral Home, Frackville is in charge of arrangements.

Betty Yakimovich RIP October 17, 2008

YAKIMOVICH, Elizabeth M., d. 2008

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 11:16PM GMT

Classification: Obituary

Surnames: YAKIMOVICH, JOHN, RYAN, JOHNS

From Pottsville PA Republican, Oct. 19, 2008

October 17, 2008
Elizabeth M. "Betty" Yakimovich, formerly of North Fourth Street, Frackville, passed away Friday night at the Orwigsburg Center, Orwigsburg.
Born in Mahanoy City, she was a daughter of the late Henry and Margaret Ryan John. She had been employed as the office manager at the former Frackville Shops until her retirement.
Betty was a devoted member of her beloved St. Ann Catholic Church, Frackville, where she attended daily Mass until her illness. She was a 1937 graduate of the former Mahanoy City High School. She had coached girls' softball for several years. An avid bowler, Betty belonged to several area bowling leagues, where she won numerous trophies.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward J., in 1992; three brothers, Edward, Henry and Charles; a sister, Mary Marie John.
Surviving are a brother, Francis "Frank" Johns, Corinth, Texas; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Thomas M. Sullivan Funeral Home, Frackville
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. in St. Ann Church, Frackville, with the Rev. Edward Essig, pastor, as the celebrant.
Interment will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Englewood, Frackville.
Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. until time of service

Betty Yakimovich RIP October 17, 2008

YAKIMOVICH, Elizabeth M., d. 2008

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 11:16PM GMT

Classification: Obituary

Surnames: YAKIMOVICH, JOHN, RYAN, JOHNS

From Pottsville PA Republican, Oct. 19, 2008

October 17, 2008
Elizabeth M. "Betty" Yakimovich Surname Facts
Yakimovich Surname Board

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','Related Resources',null,null,200,750,300);" onmouseout="TGN.Util.HoverTip.startHideHoverTipTimer();" id="kwl2E45024A">Yakimovich, formerly of North Fourth Street, Frackville, passed away Friday night at the Orwigsburg Center, Orwigsburg.
Born in Mahanoy City, she was a daughter of the late Henry and Margaret Ryan John. She had been employed as the office manager at the former Frackville Shops until her retirement.
Betty was a devoted member of her beloved St. Ann Catholic Church, Frackville, where she attended daily Mass until her illness. She was a 1937 graduate of the former Mahanoy City High School. She had coached girls' softball for several years. An avid bowler, Betty belonged to several area bowling leagues, where she won numerous trophies.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward J., in 1992; three brothers, Edward, Henry and Charles; a sister, Mary Marie John.
Surviving are a brother, Francis "Frank" Johns Surname Facts
Johns Surname Board

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','Related Resources',null,null,200,750,300);" onmouseout="TGN.Util.HoverTip.startHideHoverTipTimer();" id="kwl2E450246">Johns, Corinth, Texas; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Thomas M. Sullivan Funeral Home, Frackville
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. in St. Ann Church, Frackville, with the Rev. Edward Essig Surname Facts
Essig Surname Board

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','Related Resources',null,null,200,750,300);" onmouseout="TGN.Util.HoverTip.startHideHoverTipTimer();" id="kwl2E450248">Essig, pastor, as the celebrant.
Interment will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Englewood, Frackville.
Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. until time of service

JACOBS-BALDYS Sunday, July 03, 2005

JACOBS-BALDYS

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Lynn and Mark Jacobs of Valley Cottage, N.Y., are happy to announce the marriage of their daughter, Lauren Michelle, to Matthew Baldys, the son of Mary Lou and Rick Baldys of Williamsport, Pa., on Saturday, June 11, 2005, at the IBM Palisades Executive Conference Center in Palisades, N.Y. Cantor Ted Aronson officiated at the ceremony. Lauren’s sister, Nathania Jacobs, was maid of honor and the groom’s brother, David Baldys, was best man. Several of Lauren’s friends from the Nyack High School class of 1997 were in the bridal party including Melissa Cudina, Jen Nardi, Rachel Segall and Shari Witrock. Mr. and Mrs. Baldys graduated in 2001 from Ithaca College, Lauren with a BA in sociology and Matt with a BS in philosophy. They also received teaching certificates from East Stroudsburg State University. After a wedding trip to St. Thomas and St. John, they plan to live and teach in Philadelphia.

Washington Post: Ivey Most Money and Obama Conections - Baker Humbled

Baker's likely opponent, State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D), raised about $56,000 last year and has $114,000 cash on hand. Included in Ivey's list of contributors was President Obama's nominee for attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., who donated $4,000 in November. Ivey served a year under Holder as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia from 1990 to 1994.
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Another probable candidate for county executive, Sheriff Michael Jackson (D), raised less than $2,000 last year, but he has the most cash on hand, $231,000.

A financial report for County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) was not available from the Maryland State Board of Elections on Tuesday.