Historical Image of the Day

Francis Johnson, early African-American musician from Philadelphia and leader of the first American band to ever have an English tour, in 1837. This image is from 1844.

Historical Image of the Day

Juliann Jane Tillman, preacher of A.M.E. Church, Philadelphia, 1844

Has Labor Been Left Hanging?

At the risk of diving in here when I haven't been posting much to self-promote, my first story is up at the Nation's site. It's about the Philadelphia Museum of Art security guards and their struggles to unionize, and how they're a great example of the need for the Employee Free Choice Act.

There's kind of a dearth of interest in labor issues among the "netroots," as I noticed when Arlen Specter had to bring up EFCA himself while being questioned at Netroots Nation. I've always been proud that this blog tries to address these issues, and while I'm nowhere near as knowledgeable as Erik is when it comes to union history and organizing, I try to do my part. Anyway, here's the beginning and please read the whole piece over there.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a recognizable icon even to those who have never set foot in the city. Immortalized in the movie Rocky, when a sweatsuit-clad Sylvester Stallone bounded up the stairs while training for his big fight, the museum became a symbol of the working-class tenacity that Philadelphians are known for.

On September 6, those steps will host a different kind of blue-collar battle: the museum security guards will be holding a rally in support of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and their right to form a union.

Hometown newspaper sinks to new low

You know, I stopped reading the Inquirer after they hired Rick "Man-On_Dog" Santorum as a columnist. I kind of wish right now that I had a subscription that I could cancel in disgust, though, because the Inky just hired John Yoo, Philadelphia native and torture memo author, as an Op-Ed columnist.

Philadelphia is a pretty heavily Democratic city, so I can only wonder who the Inky is targeting with this new hire. Are they counting on Web hits going up when liberal bloggers link to Yoo's columns in outrage, or do they think there's a secret market for Republican pro-torture propaganda in a city so liberal that they only have Republicans in the city council because it's mandated in the city charter that the minority party have representation?

Thankfully, I'm moving at the end of the month (NYC, baby) so I won't even nominally be represented in Newspaperland by a paper willing to pay for the opinions of a man whose opinions may soon get him disbarred.

Will Bunch, Daily News columnist, said it:

But while promoting public discourse is a goal of newspaper commentary, it should not be the main objective. The higher calling for an American newspaper should be promoting and maintaining our sometimes fragile democracy, the very thing that Yoo and his band of torture advocates very nearly shredded in a few short years. Quite simply, by handing Yoo a regularly scheduled platform for his viewpoint, the Inquirer is telling its readers that Yoo's ideas -- especially that torture is not a crime against the very essence of America -- are acceptable.

This is exactly the kind of "on one hand, on the other hand" cowardly practice that has become a cancer destroying the moral DNA of America's newsrooms. "On one hand, torture is not only immoral but a violation of international and even U.S. law, but on the other hand, check out our 'provocative' new columnist, John Yoo, who can't travel to Europe because he might be arrested for war crimes!" This is wrong -- horribly so. For more than five years, American newsrooms have helped to normalize the inhumane practice of torture, giving into the government's Orwellian terms like "enhanced interrogation" and failing to call for accountability of those responsible for these crimes, including -- but not stopping at -- John Yoo. For a much-honored newspaper like the Inquirer to pay someone like Yoo to write a regular column is surely the exclamation point on a dark period in which most of my profession flunked its greatest moral test.

Yep. "He said, she said" at its absolute worst. I might suggest, if the Inquirer is looking for opposing viewpoints, hiring Mumia Abu-Jamal to write a column to run alongside Michael Smerconish, or perhaps hiring some of the "let newspapers die" crowd to write a column about how the Inquirer has outlived its usefulness.

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies

Normally, I'd snark about whiny Philadelphia fans complaining about no title since 1983 and say something bitter like "Cleveland - 1964."


But a true, heartfelt congrats to the Phillies, their fans, and the city of Philadelphia. Every year, watching the sheer joy of the champions, I get a little tearful, imagining how great it must feel to be that team's fans (except, of course, when it's the Yankees - then the tears are for a completely different reason), and this year is no exception. I have no doubt if my beloved Indians ever win a World Series, I'll bawl like a baby, but as I can't do that this year, I'm happy for the Phillies and their fans. Congrats, too, to the players, and a particularly meaningful congrats to Charlie Manuel, beloved former Indians' manager - it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy not named Eric Wedge.

And again, Congrats to a great season and a World Championship.


And....Indians, 2009!!!!

Historical Image of the Day

Pennsylvania Hall Fire, 1838. This building was burned by a mob for having women and African-Americans speaking advocating for women's suffrage and abolitionism.

It also should be noted that this is an excellent example of the deep-seated hostility in the North to equal rights, especially for African-Americans, and that the history of northern racism is as long and painful as that in the South. But it doesn't get the same publicity.

Historical Image of the Day

I.W.W. cartoon from 1920 Philadelphia dockworkers strike.

Historical Image of the Day

"A View of the City of Brotherly Love," 1842

You might want to click on the image for a larger shot. What this view shows is an attack on a black parade celebrating West Indian emancipation and temperance. If you look on the right, you also see the burning of Pennsylvania Hall, which had taken place in 1838.

Just Let the Man Go

Philadelphia police captured fugitive Maximo Jurado, 28 years after escaping from prison on a drug charge.

I'm sorry, but arresting a 75 year old guy for a prison escape in 1979 on what seems to have been a non-violent drug charge seems really stupid. He must have stayed out of trouble for all those years since he never got caught. He's old and clearly non-violent. Must he really spend his last days in prison?

Going to prison for 4-10 years is pretty unjust for a non-violent crime. If it was murder or rape, I'd say throw him back in prison. But for this? Totally wrong.