Remember back in the spring when the Chesco Dems were acting like it was a bad Phoenixville Country Club board meeting? Shall we consider that it is still that way?
So I have been thinking about this again. What does it mean to be a Democrat in Chester County if they attack you for being independent minded? Doesn’t that make them everything they said they wouldn’t be when they took majority in Chester County?
I point you back to JudgeGate from the spring 2023 primaries…
So in addition, a few months ago all of a sudden this new to me Chesco Dem was following me and leaving super too friendly too soon comments on Twitter. So I kept an eye peeled. I thought to myself then hmmm she wants something or is planning on running for something. And she is indeed now running for State Rep. She is a Democrat. She has had headshots out there for a few months and then there are her Twitter handles and her friends were announcing on message boards months ago that she is running for State Rep. That would put her in Legislative District 155, or Danielle Friel Otten’s district. Oh and recently taking pot shots at Otten as well. Hope Deuso knows Taylor Swift’s song Karma? (Just sayin’)
Grandma Charlotte says she doesn’t let incumbents get primaried yet…. Isn’t it really liar -liar -pants -on -fire- Charlotte-Valyo which is why she needs to go go go?
Deuso wants to be a trendy kind of candidate vs a woman of substance who has earned her spot, and she couldn’t even make it to Borough Council in Downingtown so why does she think Otten’s seat should be hers?
Deuso also seems to have the run for something /anything disease like Republican David Sommers and talks sound bytes on social media and this is who oh Grandma please thinks is better than Danielle Friel Otten? I would ask if this was a joke, but the joke is Grandma Charlotte and her flying monkeys do this every time election season is nigh don’t they?
Now Deuso, who has also been made over and groomed a bit since her unsuccessful 2015 race, is also part of those Mid ChesCo Democrats which contain the filing 5 who were part and parcel of JudgeGate spring 2023, correct?
So the filing five 12 year old Kieran was out shilling for Deuso on Giving Tuesday and that Rachel who is also a Mid ChesCo Dems and of the filing 5 is Deuso’s campaign manager? And Kieran was seen swanning about recently in Harrisburg with Grandma Charlotte? As the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live would say, isn’t that special?
Do you believe in political coincidence? I do not.
Now while Charlotte Valyo and her flying monkeys have been flying around places like Harrisburg do they seriously think no one is paying attention?
However larger questions include asking Pennsylvania House Democrats and the Pennsylvania Democratic Party if they are really falling for Grandma Charlotte’s schtick ?
The flying monkeys are running their mouths at Grandmas’s behest talking smack about Rep. Danielle Friel Otten and Grandma Charlotte wants us to believe she supports all Democrats and doesn’t want incumbents primaried yet like magic she is seeing that Otten is primaried…yet again? Will there be a platform again for what was it ? Running CBD oil through pipelines?
We’ve got your number Charlotte and it’s time for you to go….
And the thing about Danielle Otten is she works equally for ALL of her constituents. That is why she is so loved. And good at her job. I have written about Danielle many times before because she is the real deal.
I am all for women making history, but for the right reasons. And I am sick and tired of the current woman leading the Chester County Democratic Committee and her version of “leadership” which is no better than consistently being a petty bitch who is terrified of anyone independent, especially other women. And Grandma Charlotte and her flying monkeys don’t seem to get that the reason Democrats in Chester County held onto their somewhat slim majority and county row for the 2023 elections wasn’t the quality of candidates and campaigning, but because of the various and assorted extremism groups who were trying to mess with our elections and school districts – people correctly didn’t want to let them in, so they voted blue not red. But they didn’t vote blue again because the candidates were all so fabulous.
Anyway, here we are at the end of 2023. And Charlotte Valyo is still undermining Democratic women in Chester County unless you are part of her flying monkey squad and hey now it’s not high school student council or the middle school popular girl lunch tables, so why are Chester County Democrats as a whole tolerating this? Aren’t we worth more as voters? Or does party leadership in fact not give a good god damn about what we may think? I think the Chester County Democratic Committee should not be run like Phoenixville Country Club.
Democrats in Chester County deserve better. We deserve open primaries without meddling behind the proverbial curtain and the flying monkey squad. I don’t know about you all but I tire of Grandma Charlotte’s reindeer games and country club mentality.
And in case you were wondering, even if I can’t vote for her, I am still #TeamDanielle because I believe in people who get into public service for the right reasons.
Also important to note is I am not saying Deuso shouldn’t run for elected office. And I am waiting for the daggers to come out from the flying monkey squad (because one thing you can count on from Grandma Charlotte is she doesn’t ever do her own work) that I am anti-Trans. I am not. But Deuso like others in the past including Rose Danese are just being used.
Deuso and her over inflated ego are just a bigger pawn in a game that will undoubtedly contain a sprinkling of dark money again, so watch those campaign finance reports, and what is “dark” money? Allow me to provide a refresher:
Tracing the funding is almost impossible, as the nonprofits behind it are not required to disclose donors. The spending underscores the influence of “dark money” in seemingly low-profile races, as well as the stakes associated with the controversial pipeline project.
By Andrew Seidman Published Jul. 20, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
Conservative nonprofit groups that have advocated for the natural gas industry funded hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of attack ads in last month’s primary election in two state House races in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Outside political groups spent at least $517,000 on Democratic primary races in Chester County, according to newly disclosed campaign records and data compiled by the ad tracking firm Advertising Analytics.
The targets of the attack ads were first-term state Rep. Danielle Friel Otten and Ginny Kerslake, both Democrats and outspoken opponents of Sunoco’s Mariner East pipeline project, which carries natural gas liquids from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations to the company’s terminal in Marcus Hook.
Otten won her primary. Kerslake lost to incumbent Democratic Rep. Kristine Howard.
Tracing the funding is almost impossible, as the nonprofits behind it are not required to disclose donors. The spending underscores the influence of “dark money” in seemingly low-profile races, as well as the stakes associated with the controversial pipeline project, a political and legal flash-point in the debate over energy and the environment.
“ It just was insanity to me that one legislator can be that powerful that they would spend a quarter of a million dollars to try to take me out in the primary,” Otten said in an interview.
She said she suspected the oil and gas industry was involved and wanted to “make an example of me, because I have been very outspoken about the egregiousness of what that industry is doing.”
Of course it also remains to be seen if Grandma Charlotte will see if the Democrat in the neighboring 167th District gets primaried. Why would I say that? Because State Rep Kristine Howard didn’t mind her place and ran for judge last spring in the primary and Grandma Charlotte and her flying monkeys and others did not want her to do that. They may still want to punish her for that, right? Howard is a terrible State Representative and I didn’t think she was qualified to be a judge, so if there is new blood for that race out of the Democrat side, it just depends who it is. But it will be interesting to see what happens there.
But I digress, although it is connected. Why? Because Kristine Howard used to be a flying monkey after a fashion, didn’t she?
It seems every time there’s an election cycle coming up in Chester County and if there is someone currently in elected office who is independent and there for the right reasons Charlotte Valyo talks out of both sides of her mouth and has to try to get rid of whomever it is. Last time it was Magisterial District Justice Paige Simmons, and this time and again it’s Danielle Friel Otten. And this time the pawn is Erica Deuso. One would think Deuso would be intelligent enough to figure this out, but apparently she’s not. But she is actually part of the flying monkeys squad, isn’t she? But hey Erica Deuso, remember that once flying monkeys no longer have a use, they are discarded aren’t they?
Also whatever happened to those magical 2023 bylaws? Remember that issue?
Why are the bylaws still not on their website? Where are they and shouldn’t they be readily available? Or did I miss them on the website? Also interesting? CCDC is seeking a paid monkey as of November 29th:
The Executive Director is to assist the Chair and Executive Committee in support of the political, fundraising, communications, and administrative operations of the Chester County Democratic Committee. This ideal candidate will have multiple cycles of leadership roles on political campaigns, a sense of professionalism around politically sensitive matters including donor calls and meetings, extensive training, and the ability to multi-task. The ideal candidate is a collaborative self-starter who is flexible in their day-to-day responsibilities while requiring little oversight. An understanding of Chester County politics, elected officials, and major local political issues is an asset.
It seems to me that they are advertising for a brain for Charlotte Valyo doesn’t it? Why not just get rid of her instead? The root of this problem is Grandma Charlotte and those others who can’t ever leave the proverbial party. The Chester County Democratic Committee needs fumigation and a makeover.
Until then, Happy Holidays dear Charlotte, we are all watching….and exercising our First Amendment rights.
Nothing like a good e-mail to get the juices flowing. I will leave this as it is. Y’all can decide if you will be Dumbocrats and sheeple and dig CCDC Chair Charlotte Valyo’s pretzel logic or will you stand up, look at your by-laws and ease your Grandma and her flying monkeys into party retirement?
What does the email say? I am including verbiage in case screen shot is not clear and Chesco Dems? “Bubble” well….:
I apologize for yet another email. I am receiving questions regarding retentions. Some information is being shared that is not complete nor necessarily factual.
1) Retention is not an election. Court of Common Pleas Judges are elected once, for a ten-year term. After ten years, they are placed on the ballot for retention. The purpose of retention rather than running again is to remove politics from the judiciary. Once elected, judges are to make decisions based on the law and facts, not on political affiliation or political views. There is no red or blue, they are to think black (robes). This process was written into the Pennsylvania Constitution to ensure the independence of our courts.
2) Judge Carmody and Judge Hall will both age out before their next term ends, which will open up two seats for us to elect our candidates. This also makes it unlikely either would run for a higher Court seat.
3) Judge Carmody and Judge Hall are not extremists but are moderates and have earned the respect of their fellow judges and the legal community. I have spoken with our Democratic Court of Common Pleas Judges, most of our judicial and county candidates, and Democratic attorneys in Chester County. All unanimously support both judges and have only positive things to say about both.
4) If these judges were not retained what would happen?
a. The Chester County Court of Common Pleas would lose 2 judges, burdening an already overburdened Court.
b. Governor Shapiro can appoint attorneys to fill judicial vacancies, but this requires approval by the Republican controlled State Senate. The likelihood that the Republican controlled Senate would vote to approve Democratic judges is very low. Therefore, we will either have no appointments or two Republican judges who could be and probably would be younger and much more conservative.
c. If two Republican judges were appointed, both would be running as incumbents in the next election.
5) Bubbling “No” for these moderate and respected judges diminishes the effect of our bubbling “No” in the future when more extreme judges are up for retention.
6) For statewide judicial retentions, the Pennsylvania State Committee is bubbling the Democrat up for retention as a “Yes” and the Republican blank.
7) Based on the information above and following the lead of the Pennsylvania State Committee, CCDC will not be bubbling in a recommendation for retention for the Court of Common Pleas.
I am who I am. So now the Chester County Democrats perceive me as public enemy number one for being essentially an inconvenient Democrat. Like I said before it takes me back to 2013 when it was declared I was a tea partier.
Yesterday I offered public comment at the beginning of the Prison Board Meeting in West Chester:
Well then when the rest of public comment rolled around up popped two ride or die Democrats who not only seemingly leave no room for independent thought as well as no room for anyone to challenge the machine, which was rather ironic considering who one of the speakers was and how she was treated in the past by this very county party and I supported her. That is kind of sad, right? I think so.
Now while I respect these women for speaking on what they believe to be true even if people disagree, I don’t respect misquoting me from the same meeting barely an hour before if that. And the passive aggressive “teased out” of it all made me laugh out loud and if I open my mouth for public comment anything, I do my homework ahead of time.
So I offered rebuttal. I do not like being misquoted or a victim of a sniper attack from other Democrats because they think people owe abject loyalty to political parties at all times no matter what even if that kind of makes something more of a cult instead of a functioning political party:
So I have been thinking about this. What does it mean to be a Democrat in Chester County if they attack you for being independent minded? Doesn’t that make them everything they said they wouldn’t be when they took majority in Chester County?
I point you back to JudgeGate from the spring 2023 primaries.
And speaking of JudgeGate will we have StateRepGate again next primary season? Seems like Grandma Charlotte erstwhile head of the Chester County Democrats is at it again? Just visit this website to see. Now this is a person who ran unsuccessfully for Downingtown Borough Council in 2015. She’s part of Mid Chesco Dems, AKA where some of Grandma Charlotte’s filing five came from when they did Paige Simmons dirty in May. (Which was withdrawn in June.)
So unlike others, I pay attention to whom decides to follow me on socials, especially if they are very chirpy. All of a sudden this new Chesco Dem was following. So I kept an eye peeled. And she is running for State Rep. She is a Democrat. She has headshots out there and then there is her Twitter handle and her friends announcing on message boards that she is running for State Rep. That would put her in Legislative District 155, or Danielle Friel Otten’s district.
It doesn’t take new math to figure out this chick has her eyeballs focused on Danielle’s seat, does it? It also doesn’t take much of a reach to figure Grandma Charlotte Valyo of the Chesco Dems must have her paws in this somewhere, does it? So they are gearing up for more Dirty Dems Primary Tricks Done Dirt Cheap, eh? And it’s not like they haven’t done this before, right? I will say sorry if I am wrong, but past being prologue and all say I am right, doesn’t it? We have recent shenanigans and then the others they have primaried against Danielle Otten like Rose Hogan Danese.
Oh and I mentioned JudgeGate in the spring primary, but there was another JudgeGate this summer wasn’t there? Something about just endorsing current sitting GOP judges? Kind of funny after they went after a fellow Democrat who is a Magisterial District Justice who was looking to run for Common Pleas in the spring?
And now this other thing related to that – a rumor of planning to do the sample ballot to the entire county on behalf of CCDC leaving judicial retention question blank? Supposedly local areas/zones are losing their minds because they want to vote NO on the Republican and Indie candidates there, because well Democrats are supposed to elect Democrats, and Republicans wouldn’t support a Democrat, etc? But Grandma Charlotte supposedly thinks this might still achieve retaining the Republican judges? Now to be honest, I have Republican judges I will vote for, but I don’t run the party and that is my personal choice as an inveterate ticket splitter, so Grandma Charlotte are you all there? Je ne comprends pas.
All this strife and controversy from within the Chester County Democrats since Grandma Charlotte Valyo took the wheel, isn’t there? Does she think it’s Phoenixville Country Club or something? She and her hubs were on the board during that whole space oddity of the bailout of that club once upon a time, right? I mean for what the bailout was, isn’t it still surprising that is not a public course since government monies from Schuylkill Township bailed them out? We the people and all that jazz?
The Chester County Democrats always SAY they are different from the GOP but when they do the same stupid tricks now that they are in power are they actually different? Inquiring minds want to know. Want to know what I think?
I think power always corrupts and political power is no different. I think with every leadership change with the Chester County Democrats there is not enough cleaning house of deadwood and the past people who made local paper headlines are still too involved in the running of the party and I am allowed that opinion. I think independent thinking is discouraged and everyone is supposed to walk lock step with whatever leadership is word salading that day, week, hour.
So am I surprised that the claws came out at me at the meeting yesterday? Nope. The Chester County Democratic Committee is like Project Runway: one day you are in, the next day you are out.
Obviously I am out. I was ok to Democrats as an inconvenient Republican, but I am not ok as an inconvenient Democrat. Thanks kids, duly noted, and perhaps Independent is in my future except then I lose right to primary voting.
But their nasty Project Runway behavior seems to be constant and can it be said only pet committee people and zone folks aren’t harangued? I point you to the pet squad of Mid Chester County Dems in particular. Freedom, fairness, opportunity is somewhat subjective with Grandma Charlotte, yes?
I am beginning to feel like the Chester County Democratic Committee want us to be like 1950s housewives: obedient and silent. Sorry doesn’t work for me. And aeresol hairspray isn’t environmentally friendly and went out with Barbara Hafer circa late 1980s- 1990s.
I have a theory. I think there needs to be new leadership with Chesco Dems and a housecleaning of old leadership hanging about. They have become so much like what they criticized and replaced that if that doesn’t happen, mediocrity will reign supreme. Without change there will not be growth. And Chester County Democrats need to grow away from all the current petty bullshit. And there is too much petty bullshit which comes from the top as acceptable behavior. They will have kittens over my opinions on this and I will get nasty comments, but so what? I became a Democrat because I thought they would actually live their mission and they are not. It’s that simple.
All Democrats are not welcomed equally is the clear message. Individuality is not welcome. And they tell their committee people whom they want endorsed. There really is no natural selection, it is pre-ordained.
And I am not letting the Republicans of Chester County off of the hook, either. Most of what CCDC is playing at is out of the age old playbook of the RCCC. It’s all stupid, kind of like their QAnon Princess West Goshen Republican Committeeperson Ada Nestor and her latest obsession: saying Chester County is a Sanctuary County. And also saying that Chester County Prison doesn’t work with ICE. The prison follows the law, they work with federal officials…they have to. And then there is the latest fakakta lawsuit. And the fact that they try to hide it, but still very much cater to extremism groups including those poorly disguised as suburban moms like it is totally normal for a soccer mom to show up at school board meetings in a gas mask, right?
I guess I am waiting for Chester County Democratic Committee and the Republican Committee of Chester County to stop acting like teenage mutant ninja turtles with vertigo and blindfolds. Both parties need work. But the Chester County Democratic Committee should be ashamed of themselves for becoming exactly what they said they wouldn’t when they attained their historic majority. Here’s an idea Chesco Dems: ditch current leadership and their gross and continual stupidity and try to keep your majority because after all, elections are also like Project Runway: one day you’re in, the next day you’re out.
Those who want to tell me how wrong I am? Save your breath. You will need it when I can say told you so, and that day is coming if you don’t get it together.
Today is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment or the anniversary of women getting the right to vote.
Think about that. Imagine that day. The suffragettes had worked so hard. They literally were put in jail at times trying to get to August 26, 1920.
Happy Women’s Equality Day, ladies.
The Women’s right to vote was ratified on August 18, 1920 but was not certified until August 26, 1920. It had to be certified by a government official. So on August 26, 1920 the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was certified by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby at his home at 8 A.M. which is why today is Women’s Equality Day and the 100th Anniversary.
Now these suffragettes, these women, these ordinary extraordinary women of their time were labeled as radicals. Just like the women in the 1960s forward who have tried to get the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratified and certified. Sadly the Equal Rights Amendment is still a proposed amendment almost 100 years later because did you know that the first version of the ERA was written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman and introduced to Congress in December of 1923? Yes the same Alice Paul who bore witness to Bainbridge Colby certifying the 19th Amendment 100 years ago today.
Radicals. Shrill. Bitches. You name it, people (men and women) will have a offensive descriptive adjective to apply to women who wish to preserve their rights and the rights of others . It’s like being a strong woman is a crime. It’s like being a woman active in your community as well as your home is a crime. Look no further than the pipeline issues in Chester County.
Over the past couple of days I have written about the pipeline problems and related political machinations. (See this post and this post). Women I know, like, and respect are being labeled as radicals and also quite unbelievably inferred to be traitors to the Democratic Party of Chester County. And a quite obscure yet hideous Nazi sympathizer descriptive adjective was applied to one who is of Jewish faith.
And all of this was done by a man, I won’t refer to him as a gentleman because he’s certainly not, who works and has a relationship with State Representative Kristine Howard. This man is also from Pittsburgh. And why is it he meddles in our politics? If he wants to be around elected officials, why doesn’t he run for office where he’s from in Pittsburgh? I don’t understand why we need Pittsburgh politics in Chester County Pennsylvania do you?
Why is this man so desperate for Kristine Howard to be reelected? Who else does he work for? Why does State Representative Kristine Howard just sit silently and allow good women and any woman upset by either her lack of performance or who care about issues like pipelines because they either have a brain in their head or because they are directly affected to be maligned and denigrated?
Why does Kristine Howard as a woman and elected official not have her own voice? And if you ask around Harrisburg are you going to be told the people hear her voice with great regularity? Is she either unwilling or unable to have a voice? It’s a great puzzle. Because you have to wonder if she really wants to be a state representative don’t you? Or is this man actually the power behind the throne and he’s running this state representative seat only he wasn’t elected to office and he’s not a resident of Chester County right? And is she either unwilling or unable to have a voice? It’s a great puzzle. Because you have to wonder if she really wants to be a state representative don’t you?
And let’s also wonder about the Chester County Democratic Party. If the Chair, is not acting in the best interest of the women being denigrated and singled out specifically in the emails which have been flying and the nasty Facebook stuff and ads during the primary, is he fit to lead? And are those two women also on the Executive Committee who are essentially trying to say if you’re not a good little Stepford Wife you essentially should be politically shunned? Or if you God forbid talk to someone of another political persuasion who is not a Democrat you should also be shunned and the party shouldn’t back you if you want to run for office and so on and so forth?
*******(The screenshots have to be downloaded and then enlarged so here is the text from them verbatim and any spelling/grammar errors all on them.) ******
Please see the attached social media posts made by Ginny Kerslake and Wendy Graham Leland.
The posts clearly demonstrate that Mrs. Kerslake and Mrs. Graham Leland are openly colluding to cause harm to Representative Howard’s candidacy and benefit the campaign of her Republican opponent. Let ‘s be clear, Mrs. Kerslake and Mrs. Graham Leland are tagging each other in the posts when there is no reason to do so except to politically denigrate Kristine.
In my previous email when we called for banning Lani Frank from all Chester Democratic Committee social media platforms for her direct and indirect assistance to Republican Graham Leland, we did not include Mrs. Kerslake or even mention her by name. However, with this clear and present evidence of her collusion with Rep. Howard’s Republican opponent, a ban of Mrs. Kerslake on the party’s social media platforms is also called for.
Simply removing posts is not enough. A clear message must be sent that undermining the Democratic nominees chosen by our voters will not be tolerated. I am under the impression that your bylaws preclude Democrats who support Republicans from holding party offices or seeking the party’s endorsement for a public office for a period of two years. We are requesting the Executive Committee notify Mrs. Kerslake and Ms. Frank that they are in violation of the rules and may be prohibited from holding party office or seeking the Democratic Committee endorsement for a public office in the next two election cycles.
I thank you for your response to my earlier email. However, I disagree with your conclusion to merely take down posts. I believe the most corrective and preventive action is to ban the perpetrators of such betrayals. As you requested, I am sending this to your leadership team and the zone leaders in Kristine’s District first. If the executive committee does not act in a timely and affirmative manner, in the interest of transparency, I will share it with the committee as a whole and encourage them to take appropriate action.
Thank you,
Marty Marks
The Committee to Elect Kristine Marty Marks 412.352.0317
Hello, I add another item to the 2 year restrictions: The perpetrator will not receive CCDC support of any kind should they become a Primary candidate for public office.
This is a broader restriction compared to “prohibited from … seeking the Democratic Committee Endorsement…”
Examples: CCDC and Zone websites and social media will not post their candidate information. No inclusion in CCDC and Zone mailers (except the sample ballot) and phone bank scripts.
Hi, I have been advocating that these actions result in banning from CCDC social media sites and informing all members of the EC about the action and why it has been taken. So far our tactics of ignoring or a slight slap on the wrist has only emboldened this group. It is time for CCDC to stand up for our candidates and our values. This is not a new problem. The same people have been attacking fellow Democrats since the 2018 primary.
From: Marty Marks <martymarks75@gmail.com> Date: August 23, 2020 at 10:04:45 AM EDT Subject:It is time to ban the quislings
Dear members of the Democratic Committee,
Giving aid and comfort to the enemy in a time of battle is treason. We are experiencing such betrayals at this very moment undercutting our mission to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in November.
For example, see this post on the Chesco Dems Facebook page made by Lani Frank, a former member of the Democratic State Committee and an unsuccessful candidate for Chester County Democratic Chair:
Nice of you to show concern now. Why don’t you stand up for our values and call for a stop to this nightmare instead of taking money from the very PAC’s that support the continuation of this project. You can’t have it both ways. Take a stand.
6 Edited
Please note that the comment is edited. When it was originally posted it was specifically addressed to Representative Kristine Howard and stated her name. Lani Frank was attacking Kristine for not sharing exactly the most extreme positions Lani Frank and a few others hold regarding the Mariner East Pipeline.
And this is not the first example of her duplicitous behavior. After Kristine won her primary in a most convincing manner against Lani Frank’s client, Ms. Frank publicly questioned the integrity of voting by mail suggesting there was something inherently wrong causing harm to her client. At a time when Democrats in Chester County and throughout the country were pushing voting by mail and championing its efficacy, Ms. Frank was sounding like Donald Trump.
Please don’t get me wrong. Ms. Frank is entitled to freedom of speech and she can avail herself of a multitude of forums to enjoy it. I am suggesting to you, in the midst of an historic election when we have an opportunity to flip the PA House from red to blue, we should not be giving her or anyone else a forum on our Democratic Party social media platforms to denigrate our candidates, and give aid and comfort to their Republican opponents.
I apologize for appearing to be singling out Ms. Frank because she certainly is not alone in this behavior. Since the Primary Election, Kristine’s primary opponent and a few of her supporters, Kristine’s Republican opponent and Ms. Frank have been interacting on social media platforms. I am merely seeking to make the point that during the General Election campaign we should not be providing a forum for anyone to attack the very candidates that our Democratic primary voters selected as their nominees, and in Kristine’s case by a nearly 60% plurality.
Ms. Frank and her allies seek to re-litigate the Primary Election, ignoring the results and obsessing about the candidate the voters overwhelmingly elected. Ms. Frank would have us believe this is about issues related to the Mariner East Pipeline. Rather, I detect the bitter flavor of sour grapes.
Rep. Howard – who enjoys a 100% lifetime pro-environmental rating on the Pennsylvania Environmental Scorecard used by Conservation Voters, Sierra Club and Clean Water Action – has taken strong stands demanding transparency and accountability from pipeline operators. When recent violations took place that allowed 8,000 gallons of drilling fluid to flow into Marsh Creek Lake, she immediately called the Governor’s office and requested urgent intervention. The Governor responded by shutting down drilling at the site and launching investigations by the appropriate regulatory agencies.
Kristine supports the conclusions and actions taken by DEP to date and demands there be remediation of any damage the company’s actions may have caused. She supports tough civil and criminal penalties for any and all violations that have been committed including the possibility of revoking the company’s permits to do business in Chester County if the evidence justifies it. Kristine believes in the regulatory processes that the legislature in which she serves has established and she supports having the scientific data and evidence the investigations will reveal before determining what penalties should be levied on the company.
Most informed people understand that the pipeline under construction today was approved by local, state and national leaders long before Rep. Howard became a candidate for the legislature. Furthermore, until we flip the house from red to blue, Democrats can do little more than grandstand on the issue. Those of you who know Kristine know that is not her style. While others organize sit-ins in the Governor’s office, Kristine has worked to have sit-downs at our Democratic Governor’s conference table. (I should mention that the Governor is the leader of our party and enjoys more than a 60% approval rating in Chester County)
On behalf of Democrats who want to flip the PA House from red to blue, I am asking you to ban Lani Frank from your social media platforms and delete comments and block anyone else who persists in undercutting our Democratic nominees.
Thank you and can we please put the Primary behind us and get on with the General Election?
Marty Marks 412.352.0317
Today marks a very important day for women in the United States. But I’m also here to remind you that there are still enough dark forces at work that we can lose ground if we are not careful.
I am not going to apologize for being profoundly disturbed by men and even women who want to label other women because of the courage of their convictions. And it’s never become more apparent until this pipeline issue heated up again. It’s why I also think on social media we need a #FacesOfMarinerEast.
The #FacesOfMarinerEast aren’t radicals. They aren’t bitches. They aren’t shrill. They are regular people affected by something that is out of control. The #FacesOfMarinerEast are people you know and are friends with and aren’t even related to possibly.
The #FacesOfMarinerEast are your neighbors, people you see in the supermarket, people you see in the car rider line at school, people you see in church, people you see walking your dog in your neighborhood.
The #FacesOfMarinerEast aren’t a bunch of handmade protest signs, they are people from all walks of life and professions.
The #FacesOfMarinerEast are also people like Chester County‘s children who look longingly at what once was their Little League field in Exton the pipelines took over.
So when questionable political operatives from Pittsburgh want to label as “radicals” women I know, respect, and call friends, it’s time to cry happy horse manure on that. Women fighting to preserve where we call home and who wish for all of us adult and child that we are protected and not just long term victims of pipeline companies are oh hell to the no not radicals, they are our heroines. They our are everyday people who have taken a stand for good over greed.
Do not let the future generations lose ground because people still want to put women down. Especially because standing up for what you believe in is one of the tenets of being an American.
Ladies, again, Happy Women’s Equality Day. Stand up, be heard, be counted and in November….VOTE. And pass along the #FacesOfMarinerEast and let your light shine bright.
These are just people. These are just people who live in Chester County. These are just people whose well water has been fouled and property values decreased. These are the people that get sinkholes on their property now because of pipeline work. These are the people who travel busy public roads that get sinkholes from pipeline work. These are just people with reasonable expectations of quiet enjoyment. A reasonable expectation of quiet enjoyment is actually legal term isn’t it?
And when they look outside, they see sites like I captured in the still images from a live video feed a few minutes ago. And it’s just not the savaged landscapes it’s the sounds. Everywhere you go you hear the sounds of the pipeline equipment. And there was this thump thump thump that will echo in your brain for days if you even just drive through an area with work going on. That is noise pollution. Sometimes where I live I can hear the rhythmic thump, thump, thump from neighboring townships dealing with Sunoco/Energy Transfer/Sunoco Logistics.
This was on Facebook in May with this : 📌2am Exton train station work AGAIN? This is ridiculous. Yes we live close to the Exton train station and realized that when we purchased our house in Valley View, but why must this work be done starting at 1am every night? There clearly is not as many trains running during the day right now. Any idea who to call or find out how long this will go on for? It’s constantly backup beeping alarms, jackhammers and loud banging NON STOP. Arghhh 😡📌
And don’t forget the light pollution from the night work, right? Even if the temperatures cool down, how can affected residents open their windows for a beautiful night sky and maybe even a breeze? The night work lights make that impossible right? So take away that aspect of a reasonable expectation of quiet enjoyment for that too, yes?
Facebook photosimilar to what I took off of live video feed
As I was listening to this live video feed this morning I was very sad to hear this gentleman say they’ve been (meaning the pipeline company) here over two years, they were supposed to be here three months. I don’t know if I got what he said word for word but I think that’s pretty darn close.
Photo still I captured from live video feed of Shoen Road area this morning
So State Rep. Kristine Howard, your pool boy (or whatever he is other than from Pittsburgh) is calling these poor people RADICALS? They are just people. They are just residents. They are also your constituents in some cases. Your pool boy is calling people quislings??? Do you even get the historical reference and how offensive and wrong this is? Especially to those of Jewish heritage?
Quisling as a word word originates from the surname of the Norwegian war-time leader Vidkun Quisling, who headed a domestic Nazi collaborationist regime during World War II. Quisling was put on trial for war crimes in Norway after World War II. “He was found guilty of charges including embezzlement, murder and high treason against the Norwegian state, and was sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad at Akershus Fortress, Oslo, on 24 October 1945.”
People I love are of Norwegian heritage, and so are other friends and relatives.This use of this word is beyond offensive to us and to my friends who are Jewish. How does something like that even come out of this guy’s mouth or keyboard? And WHY? Even if he doesn’t like them he can’t use other word choices?
And it doesn’t stop there. Then there is this:
So what is the lesson here? Other than if you think pipelines are bad, or think pipeline permits should be pulled and pipeline work stopped completely until a real and actual and thorough inspection is done according to pool boys from Pittsburgh and leadership in the Chester County Democrat Committee we are all bad and radical people?
And the other lesson is what? If you are a Democrat you can’t talk to Republicans? If you are a Democrat you will be drummed out of the part for speaking to anyone who is not a Democrat or someone they approve of? HOW IS THAT EVEN LEGAL TO PROPOSE OR EVEN MORAL? I did not sign up for this crap when I moved to Chester County as a (then) lifelong Republican. I did not sign up for this crap when I changed from being an Independent to a registered Democrat for the fakakta primary. You know, I would switch back to Independent right now except I am going to enjoy being a ticket splitter and casting my vote for Wendy Graham Leland. As Chester County Democratic Committee leadership seems easily swayed and confused, please not I am not telling anyone how to vote. I am telling you how I will be choosing to vote. BIG DIFFERENCE.
The Chester County Democratic Committee claims on their website that “.. the Chester County Democratic Committee in standing for Freedom, Fairness, and Opportunity — regardless of who people are, what they believe, and where they come from. Together, we can make Chester County and Pennsylvania better places for all!”
So how does the above jive with:
And do we realize what the transgression was? Ginny Kerslake and Wendy Graham Leland (AKA State Rep. Kristine Howard’s opponent) commenting on a public thread about pipeline issues on Facebook. Not some Democratic party controlled message board, and even then, what is the big freaking deal? We aren’t supposed to speak to anyone who isn’t our political persuasion ever? So the takeaway is we are only supposed to live and breed in Stepford and be bobbleheads? Talk about taking a page out of Trump’s book of Suburban Housewife Rules, right?
Apparently two intelligent women may not converse because their political parties are different?
Are we quite literally all Pravda on this bus? Am I a bad person because I have friends from different political parties like Ginny Kerslake and Wendy Graham Leland? Is the chair of the Chester County Democratic Committee Dick Bingham going to act on the attacks on Chester County residents who are Democrats? Or is his position personally pipelines over people?
Newsflash to pool boys from Pittsburgh, invisible state representatives seeking re-election, and the apparently malleable and spineless “leadership” of the Chester County Democratic Committee: Pipelines are a non-partisan issue. They affect everyone. To say we are radicals or traitors or whatever the verbiage is because we don’t like pipelines is deeply troubling as well as wrong. To tell registered Democrats or even registered Republicans we may not talk to our friends and neighbors because they are of a different political party is just a big bag of political pathetic tossed into a big box of wrong. It goes against every tenet of just being an American. It’s downright anti-American. Dick Bingham, MayAnn Piccioni, and Charlotte Valyo should be removed from their leadership roles. Somehow I do not think Joe Biden who has many, many friends across the political aisle would approve of these current events in Chester County, do you?
Oh and the lovely US Constitution allows my opinion.
We cannot allow outsiders to control our political parties. It’s anti-democracy.
Today boys and girls we learned once again on so many levels, how bad pipelines are for our communities. Vote your conscience in November and no matter what, do not think for one single moment that your friends, neighbors, relatives and more are bad radical people because they think the pipelines need to go. Energy Transfer/Sunoco Logistics/Sunoco are not nice people and they don’t operate for anyone other than themselves. They are pure profits over people, and well it’s time for #peopleoverpipelines. #DefendWhatYouLove #MamaBearBrigadeRocks
