DENVER – One of four ministers who oversaw three weeks of intensive counseling for the Rev. Ted Haggard said the disgraced minister emerged convinced that he is “completely heterosexual.” Haggard also said his sexual contact with men was limited to the former male prostitute who came forward with sexual allegations, the Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur told The Denver Post for a story in Tuesday’s edition. “He is completely heterosexual,” Ralph said. “That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn’t a constant thing.” Ralph said the board spoke with people close to […]
Grand Jury INDICTS State Senator Vincent Fumo
Fumo, 63, is charged with conspiracy, fraud, obstruction of justice and filing false tax returns. The 267-page indictment alleged that Fumo, one of Pennsylvania’s most powerful politicians, exploited the neighborhood charity he helped create and controlled: Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods. “Besides relying on his income and assets to support his lifestyle, Fumo regularly endeavored to gain personal benefits and gratuities frmo [SIC] others, including entities over which he had influence, such as the Senate [and] a non-profit organization he established and controlled, Citzens Alliance….Fumo stated to a close confidant his philsophy that a person is best advised to spend […]
SAD TO SAY: ‘Godfather Of Talk Radio’ Goes Silent
Veteran Philly talk host Irv Homer [pictured, middle] said goodbye Friday to WBCB (1490-AM), where he had been hosting afternoons for about five years. The former WWDB and WPHT talker told us yesterday it was his choice to leave and “the program had run its course.” Homer, 82, said he’ll spend his time working at the Sunshine Foundation, the children’s charity. He’s not planning to return to radio but says “if any station wants me, they know how to reach me.” Fans can visit irvhomer.com to keep in touch. DAN GROSS: To The Man Who Coined The Phrase ‘Boobus Americana’ […]
Laying The Giant Money Laundering Pipes That Used To Grease The Wheels Of City Hall With Filthy Lucre
[Photo Courtesy of PhillyHistory.org] The City of Philadelphia?s photo archive contains over 2 million images that date back as far as the late 1800s, i.e. the last time a Republican won in this town. In all seriousness, this is an INCREDIBLE visual record of the city?s evolution and a relatively new web site, PhillyHistory.org, is making it available for online consumption and purchase. To date, some 22,000 images have been digitally scanned, at a rate of roughly 2,000 images a month. So, if you?ve been wondering why the line at Kinko?s is so godamnned SLOW, well, now you know. Phawker […]
BREAKING: Fumo Steps Down, Fed Indictment Pending
HARRISBURG — State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, under FBI scrutiny for four years, took to the senate floor today and announced he expects to be indicted this week, proclaimed his innocence and said he plans to vigorously defend the allegations against him. In a cadence at times defiant, at times mournful, Fumo (D., Phila.) said he would step down as the ranking Democrat on the powerful senate Appropriations Committee, but would continue serving in the chamber as he fights the expected charges against him. “I know in my heart that I have not done anything illegal,” said Fumo in a […]
WAR PIG: Disgraced GOP Congressman Named Military-Industrial Complex Executive
BY BONNIE L. COOK Inquirer Staff Writer — Former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon has been named chief strategic officer for Defense Solutions, an Exton-based company specializing in military services and sales, a company official said yesterday. Chief executive officer Tim Ringgold said Weldon, a 10-term Republican congressman from Delaware County, would help lead the firm’s “growing defense and homeland security practice areas.” “Curt Weldon knows how our Armed Forces and emergency response communities work and what they need,” Ringgold, a retired Army colonel, said in a statement. Weldon lost his seat in November to Democrat Joe Sestak after the FBI […]
Swiss Bank Opens Local Branch, A Little Too Late To Cash In On The Golden Age Of City Hall Corruption
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Credit Suisse is pleased to announce that it will open a Private Banking USA office in Philadelphia to serve the wealth management needs of the growing number of high-net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals in the region. The office will be headed by Richard Jaff?, who joins Credit Suisse as a Managing Director. The office opening is another example of Credit Suisse?s strategy to expand its presence in major US wealth markets. […] Credit Suisse is one of the world’s leading private banks, with a 150 year history of serving the unique needs of wealthy individuals. Private […]
EDITORIAL: No Matter What Rush Limbaugh Is Talking About — Iraq, Football, Yummy Oxycontin — It Always Seems To Come Down To ‘How Scary Black People Are’
“We’re concerned with death here. We’re concerned with body counts. We’re concerned with the breakdown of law and order. [inaudible] Insurgencies, gangs, whatever you want to call them. They’re out of control in major American cities, and Philadelphia is just one example, and where are the hearings on this? Oh, I know. Senator [Joseph R.] Biden [D-DE] and Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi [D-CA] are too busy trying to weaken the commander-in-chief so we can’t win the war in Iraq. They are not only invested in defeat, they can’t allow victory. They simp — politically, they cannot allow it. Four-hundred-and-six Philadelphians murdered […]
VIET-NOW: These Are People Who Died
[Click Image To Enlarge] In January more than 1,900 people — soldiers, security officers and civilians — were killed in the insurgency in Iraq, up from 800 in January 2006. Many corpses showed signs of torture, meaning the victims were probably killed by religious and tribal death squads. [Source New York Times] HORSEFEATHERS: Rush Limabaugh Compares Philly Murder Rate To Baghdad, Wonders Where The Outrage Is, Almost Like He Cares, Almost [Audio]
“Those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.” — RICHARD NIXON
PREVIOUSLY: A Once Mighty Nation Afraid Of Lite Brite
OBAMA TO MEDIA: STOP HURTING AMERICA
Illinois Senator Barack Obama made a plea for a positive campaign, insisting that the “reality tv show” mentality fed by the 24-hour news cycle is “not why we are here.” Describing America as being in a “sobering place” Obama said this is “not a contest; it is a serious moment for America. The American people understand that. Every candidate will have something serious and valuable to offer. Campaigns should not be about making each other look bad but about how we can offer something good for this precious country of ours. Our rivals won’t be each other or the other […]
GAMBLOR: Trump Super Pissed To Learn He Has No Real World Authority To Tell Rendell ‘You’re Fired!’
Donald Trump lost his bid to run a slots casino in Philadelphia because he flunked the first lesson of real estate – location. Trump picked the wrong one. He had wanted to build his $350 million TrumpStreet Casino complex in a struggling industrial neighborhood on the edge of North Philadelphia. But the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board concluded that was the wrong place for a casino, and said yesterday that was largely why it rejected Trump’s proposal in favor of two riverfront parcels. […] Trump was unhappy. “That was the governor’s decision, and he has to live with it,” Trump said […]
GAMBLOR: And Now A Word From RALPH NADER
[Hat tip to DigPhilly]