Gov. Rendell Suspends Paroles

Yes, there is other news happening that is flying below the radar.

This story grabbed my attention today:

Responding to mounting criticism of the judicial system after a paroled felon killed a Philadelphia police officer, Gov. Rendell yesterday ordered a halt to the release of parolees until an independent expert can conduct "a top-to-bottom review" of how the state releases violent offenders.

The assessment will be conducted by John S. Goldkamp, chairman of the Temple University Department of Criminal Justice, who Rendell tapped to review a system that each month paroles about 1,000 inmates out of a prison population of about 47,000.

The move came on the eve of today's funeral of Police Officer Patrick McDonald, 30, who was killed last Tuesday by Daniel Giddings, a recently paroled violent criminal.

In May, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was gunned down after he intercepted three men - all parolees with histories of violent crime - who had just robbed a bank.

This will not endear Rendell to the liberals who like the revolving door policy that our prison systems have become. This should be a no-brainer--you commit a violent crime, you serve your entire term. Instead, we allow these thugs out early for "good behavior" or some other such tripe. The parole board was almost as responsible for the deaths of Officers McDonald and Liczbinski than were the actual perpetrators.

Our police officers are doing a tough job and doing it well, why should we make it harder and more dangerous on them?

Well, the police have had enough and are targeting their anger at liberal, activist judges who make law from the bench:

"Our police officers are angry and they're outraged," John J. McNesby, president of the FOP's Lodge 5, said at a news conference attended by about 200 uniformed officers and police supporters.

McNesby called for an "all-out assault" on parole board members who prematurely release violent offenders and on judges who he said go easy on offenders charged with assaulting police officers. Lenient judges, McNesby said, would be targeted in the press, on billboards and in advertisements.

...Ramsey and McNesby singled out Municipal Court Judge Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde, who last week downgraded a felony aggravated-assault charge against a 19-year-old man accused of punching a police officer in the throat.

Frazier-Lyde reportedly made dismissive comments about crimes against police at the time she downgraded the charges, and then was upset with police when her comments were published in Friday's Philadelphia Daily News.

You can read Frazier-Lyde's vile comments and read about her leniency with felons here.

I would expect the jackals from the ACLU to file suit today attempting to block Rendell's action.

Monday News and Notes

Links from around the 'Net on this beautiful, late summer Monday:

Domestic natural gas production is booming, driving down the price at a crucial time. More of this please and add oil into the mix.

A very interesting view of how we see ourselves politically.

An Israeli company believes that oil lies below the Judean Desert, environmentalist's don't want him to be proven right.

Every simple-minded person like socialism...at least until they have to live under it or next to it.

PA Governor Ed Rendell spouts off about Obama, Hillary and the media. Biden is just like Rendell without the brain.

The Joy of Watching the Dems Destroy Each Other

Ahhh, some times you see the Dems do things that make you smile. The daily Hillary/Obama dustups are amusing and the way the left wingosphere is eating each other makes for great daily fodder.

But every once in awhile, someone has to come in and throw kerosen into the Democratic conflagration and today that guy is Ed Rendell:



Sweet, Ed.

The lefties are having conniptions and all of us on the right are reduced to snickering teenagers watching the various factions fight it out as if we were in high school. Good stuff, y'all.

Hillary Has a Friend in Pennsylvania

And that friend is Gov. Ed Rendell.

Rendell will not help in the western portion of but he sure will in the Philly suburb counties of Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Lehigh, and potentially Berks. These are the areas that carried him to the governor's mansion and they could put Hillary over the top.

Central and western PA is blue collar and though very Democrat, a conservative variety. These are coal and steel workers who will be a hard sell for Obama. Hillary, not so much. Look at the OH vote and you'll get an idea of that region.

The Philly burbs are more mainstream Democrat with some conservative enclaves. They will be closely contested by the two and Rendell could be the key to a Hillary win. He's well-liked in Philly as he was an outspoken mayor who still is on TV talking sports and he was followed by a corrupt and inept (also Democrat) successor that makes people remember him even more fondly.

The PA race is critical and the campaigning starts today. I'm sure the local TV stations are ecstatic but I guess I'll be forced to watch dozens of irritating ads during every commercial break

Gov. Rendell: Quaker State Too Racist for Obama

Ed Rendell has always been slick. He's the first Philly mayor to win the governor's mansion and he served as the head of the DNC before an even slicker and sleazier Terry McAuliffe. He's an entrenched Democrat and is loyal to the Clintons.

So I guess it should come as no surprise that Rendell took the race card out and flipped it with a supple wrist all the way across the room. Quoth the Guv:

"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate," he said bluntly. Our eyes only met briefly, perhaps because the governor wanted to spare the only black guy in the room from feeling self-conscious for backing an obvious loser. "I believe, looking at the returns in my election, that had Lynn Swann [2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate] been the identical candidate that he was --well-spoken [note: Mr. Rendell did not call the brother "articulate"], charismatic, good-looking -- but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so."

At least he didn't pull a Biden and say "clean" so he has that going for him, anyway.

Now I am a neighbor of Pennylvania on the east and I have to say that there may well be a lot of people who are Republican and will never vote for a Democrat be it Obama or Hillary. Rendell won becasue he ran against an untested, inexperienced candidate in Swann who made many mistakes. If Swann had run even a remotely competent race, he'd have been within a hell of alot more than 17%. In 2002, he ran against another GOP stiff and only won by 9%.

Rendell is a serious Clinton loyalist and like most Clinton loyalists will do whatever is required to move them ahead. Careers have been lost (Sandy Berger), freedom has been lost (a few went to prison) and now credibility has been lost with Rendell all in the name of Clinton.

Hope you feel good about it, "Fast Eddie".