Triggering Alarm

Posted by Jason Ibrahim

Today's Altoona Mirror reports on a jilted boyfriend, Joseph B. Olecki, who went on a rampage with his employer's AK-47, firing shots into residences in Altoona and Scranton. Inexplicably, the Mirror also had a companion piece on the popularity of AK-47's and AK-15's, right next to the Olecki story, front page, top fold. Here's what confuses me about this:

1. The first impression of the front page is the large-type headline "Desperate, Lovesick Man" with a large photo of a man holding a semi-automatic gun directly underneath it. Only by reading the caption do you find out that the gun-toting individual is not Olecki, but John Patton, the manager of East Coast Gun Sales, a local gun retailer. Olecki's mug shot, meanwhile, is a small photo, about a square inch, off to the left. To me, this implies that guns, and not Olecki, are the most significant angle in this situation.
2. The Olecki article also brings out the fact that Olecki's employer, Wayne Farabaugh, kept his guns at work to prevent them from harming his children--only to have his weapons stolen by Olecki for his own murderous purposes. The message--again, only a faint implication--is that gun ownership is irresponsible because someone will ultimately get hurt.

I have to hand it to the Mirror: this form of subtle commentary is much more subdued than some of the hit pieces against gun ownership that one sees in the big-city newspapers, but I don't think the Mirror is off the hook. If they want to editorialize about the dangers of the Second Amendment, they have a section for that--and it's not the front page.

That's my opinion; what's yours?

Disclaimer: The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of ILoveAltoona.com, its owners or advertisers.

The New Segregation

By Jeff Neff

Yes, we've finally raised the bar for equality in race relations in America and elected our first black president, but history is going in reverse for many Americans as we know it; having our liberties swept from under our feet, and our founding principles trampled as we live the new segregation called, "separation of church and state." The First Amendment reads:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

In reading the First Amendment, observe how the freedom of speech is a right given to protect people from the government; and the press with its liberties meant as a watchdog on the government; and the people having the right to protest and disagree with the government. Now, look at the most debated and misunderstood right at the top of the list in this Amendment, and discern what makes it different from the others; at least by today's "standards."

The Altoona Mirror had an interesting article stating that Mayor Wayne Hippo would not run for reelection, citing that one of his accomplishments was moving the Ten Commandments to a place with less visibility; in other words, he compromised against the Constitution's intent. Not to downplay the positive impact he may have had on the city, but this is just an example of how close to home this article will be.

All of these rights, to include the freedom of religion, are meant to protect the people from the government; not the government from the people, but when this fundamental principle is ignored, the ideas themselves become whatever people want them to be, and in this case, the separation of church and state.

This idea is from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to Baptists who initially wrote him a letter of support after his election with the words, "...thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."

Just as politics are today, they were vicious then, too. Jefferson's opponents labeled him as an atheist since he would not take steps to impose a religious establishment as president, but this did not mean that Jefferson believed that religion had no place in American Government.

As a federalist, Jefferson understood that the power to construct religious practices and customs was delegated to the states, not the federal government. His critics scorned him for making such a reversal in policy, since he established days for prayer and fasting as governor of his state.

The wall of which Jefferson spoke of is actually between the federal government and the states and their respective customs. In this context, the State, being a sovereign country; as opposed to a state, or territory within a sovereign country, is the federal government. The separation is the obvious reference to federalism and the powers separately granted to the states; meaning that Jefferson understood that in creating an establishment would be usurping the rights delegated to the states.

The federal government has increased its size and influence in the areas which should be the absolute rights of the states, and has begun a foreseeable path towards socialism.

Many fail to understand that compliance with the federal government is never in the states' interest, as the Framers have set them up to be rivals; but many at the state and local government levels have forgotten that the states created the federal government, and are constitutionally entitled to publicly fund and promote religion no matter what the federal government does.

Today, we face yet another form of segregation which is different from our past history; where Christians are passively prohibited the free exercise of their religion through government institution and expansion of the reach of government

This submissive form of coercion has led to a silent majority of Christians who feel that their rights have been trampled on by those who claim to represent them, local or state. The states have submitted to the will of the federal government by adopting a distorted idea of Jefferson's letter, and throughout the year, Christians are reminded of that as school districts, boroughs, townships, and state governments prohibit the mention of Jesus Christ and references to Christianity routinely.

Creating barriers between government and religion was not the intent of the Founding Fathers in the least. Just as the people and the press are the watchdogs against the government, so should be religion. We are and should be proud of breaking racial barriers in the Land's highest public office, which demonstrates America's ability to overcome its weaknesses. Sadly, we are in need of institutional reform in all levels of government, to avoid a catastrophic breach of trust between the people and its government in relations to religious freedom.

Separating Christianity from the rest of public life is only the beginning of this segregation period, and unlike our past mistake, this one knows no color.

We're Not Worthy...

Posted by Jason Ibrahim

Like an imam calling the faithful to prayer, the Penn State Altoona website announced that Darwin Day will be held tomorrow afternoon. Organizers of the event have naturally selected the Chapel as the meeting place for tomorrow's festivities.

Whether you're a Penn State student or not, why not go to campus tomorrow and take part in a meaningful celebration of the randomness of life? Renew old friendships with other biochemical anomalies, resting assured that, 10,000 years from now, it won't matter one way or the other.

Disclaimer: The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of ILoveAltoona.com, its owners or advertisers.

Just Window Shopping?

Posted by Jason and Elizabeth Ibrahim

We took my daughter to Target last night. Now Elise is only two years old, so she doesn't understand how money works. She thinks that you can walk into a store, take what you want, and walk out. She'll walk over to the Hello Kitty products, and snatch up everything she lays her eyes on. Sometimes we indulge her innocence, letting her walk around with numerous things that we'll never end up buying. She just doesn't know any better.

While we were at Target, we also saw numerous college students. Now these kids are only teenagers, or in their early twenties, so they don't understand how to manage their money. They think they can walk into a store, take whatever they want, and go back to their dorms. They'll walk over to the iPod aisle, and snatch up everything that says either "Apple" or "Blu-Ray". We chalk it up to innocence; there may come a day in the future when they'll have to pay for all this stuff, but "buy now, pay later" is as close as our culture comes to a religious commitment. They just don't know any better.

For the past several weeks, we've been reading about the plight of some of the biggest banks in the nation. Now these are people whose business is loaning money, so as far as they know, there's no problem in life that can't be solved by a loan application. They think they can set up shop in the poor end of town, set up high-interest mortgages with credit risks, and expect to get repaid. We chalk it up to profound stupidity; if our society's mantra is "buy now, pay later", then the bill has come due for companies like Citimortgage. They ought to know better, but they don't.

For the last couple decades, our Great Society, as represented by our elected officials, has been agreeing to significant financial commitments. Now these are people who spend (or loan) other people's money for a living, so there are few problems in life that can't be fixed by a cost-of-living adjustment. They think they can campaign on a platform of tax-and-spend, enacting programs designed to return some of the money we sent to them originally; worse yet, they have the audacity to call it "stimulus." Then they think they can buy up every pet project that strikes their fancy (or ACORN's). We chalk it up to a slothful electorate; if we have a governance crisis, the only possible solution is more government. They definitely know better, but what incentive is there to improve when we just don't care?

So the next time you get the credit card bill for the Wii Fit that sits in the closet in near-mint condition, and you're lamenting the 18-to-35 percent interest; or frustrated that the financial decision maker in your household is in diapers; or wanting to go to Circuit City, Ruby Tuesday or Krispy Kreme; or lamenting the state of your 401k, ask yourself: was it really window shopping?

Disclaimer: The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of ILoveAltoona.com, its owners, or advertisers.

Tearing up All the Wire

Posted by Jason Ibrahim

With the Golden Globes just behind us and the Oscars quickly approaching, there's no better time than now to shun modernity and find an old movie to watch on a snowy night. In fact, some of the best movies ever made are either at Penn State Altoona, or can be ordered in (both for free). (Full disclosure: most of my favorite movies were made a full generation before I was born.)

One of my all-time favorites, starring Angela Lansbury and Frank Sinatra, is 1962's Manchurian Candidate. It tells the story of a man, Raymond Shaw, who was kidnapped by the Soviets while fighting in the Korean War and brainwashed and reprogrammed into becoming a trained assassin. His handlers used a playing card, a red queen, as a trigger to do their bidding.

One of the pivotal scenes in the movie occurs when Major Ben Marco, who served with Shaw, is finally onto the Soviets' scheme. He puts a whole deck of red queens in front of Raymond's face and deprograms him by saying, "Their beautifully conditioned links are over; They're smashed as of now because we say so.... We're busting up the joint, we're tearing up all the wire."

In addition to being great cinema, I think there's a life lesson here. Any of us who has ever spoken a word in anger to someone we love, and then later regretted it, knows what it's like to be under the power of an enemy force. Even if we thought we were acting out of self-interest, upon later reflection we realize it doesn't really make us feel any better (never mind that it doesn't actually improve our situation).

When God came into my life and told me that all my old links were broken, it caught me by surprise at first. How can someone making his own decisions be under the control of another? As He began slowly tearing up all the old wire in my life, He showed it to me--where it was frayed and had caused short circuits in the past, and where it was weak, and failed to deliver the power it promised.

None of us will ever be free of these links, but we can choose who does the linking. Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24). Allowing oneself to be reprogrammed by God through His son Jesus' death is definitely a change of character, but in another way, it's also becoming more yourself than you've ever been.

For the Apostle Paul, this reprogramming process means complete transformation. He wrote, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is the best reason for hope.

Disclaimer: The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of ILoveAltoona.com, its owners, or advertisers.

Step Up

By Jeff Neff

I'd like to make this a bit more personal (maybe even fly solo), speaking as a new team member with ILoveAltoona.com, or ILA. Last week, there was a meeting of the minds, so to speak; and we talked about what we each thought about ILA's vision and potential.

One thing is for certain, and that is that there is potential for growth and positive influence in the Altoona area here on this website. How so?

A few ideas were tossed up, but one that stuck with me was the possibility of inspiring things to happen in the community through a direct or indirect affluence of opportunities and resources through ILA.

ILA, of course, is a business, but remember that businesses cannot operate without people - so I would like to ask you, the reader, what could ILA do that would inspire you do be more involved in Altoona and surrounding areas in an entrepreneurial or civic sense? The vision that this site was built upon needs input from you.

You don't need any business skills or background, just a vision. The first step to building on your idea is by getting the motivation to do something about it. Suppose you had an idea (and I know you have or will at some point). What's next?

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, what can ILA do to help you take the next step in seizing that moment right here in Altoona? An entrepreneur isn't limited to a "businesslike" status. You could be interested in starting a new book club, Bible study, an annual event, a new sports team in your neighborhood, or support group. What about a gardening club?

Would it be encouraging to you if you could solicit your new club or community event on ILA, knowing of its 1000's of visitors each month? Some people say that there is nothing to do in Altoona. Wrong.

Being in business doesn't always have to be about making a profit. I believe that if ILA were in business for anything less than a vision for Altoona; then inspiring separate civic and community entities into existence action wouldn't have even been brought up at all.

So get involved, share your thoughts, and make a difference. Tell us what we can do to help you because ILA is a business that is here to help people, and people never go out of business.

Bailout Bonanza

Posted by Jason Ibrahim

By now, you're surely aware of the bailout craze sweeping the nation. Financial services companies, banks, automobile manufacturers, rental car companies, and governors have all taken their place at the federal trough. In a masterful display of hubris, even pornographers have come forward to plead for the necessity of the services they provide.

Well, ever at the forefront of national issues, Pennsylvania has made its own share of zealous appeals to Washington. Not only has our politically active governor been promoting a federal bailout of states; Boscov's has also stated its need for a piece of the pie. Now, some will surely say that Boscov's is not asking for a bailout; what they need is a loan, in part from Blair County, that will be secured by the federal government. I say that a bailout by any other name still has a big price tag, and for the following reasons:

An infusion of government cash into Boscov's would only be rewarding failure, and delaying the inevitable. People will say that Mr. Boscov's recent buyback of his namesake is the only reason he requires a loan in these difficult times. I say if he can make a success of it once, he can do it again. If he can't, then he will keep coming back to the government for cash, and Boscov's will turn from a profitable business into a social service agency. Eighty years ago this would have been a "new deal"; but not today.

Government money would be unnecessary if Mr. Boscov's business was as sound as he'd like us to think. If he can't get the money from bankers, people who like lending money more than the rest of us like breathing, we shouldn't be under any presumptions of getting paid back. In that case, we should call it what it is: a gift.

Finally, advocates of the Boscov's loan like to remind us that it will be secured by Washington, not Hollidaysburg. I would remind them that I am an American citizen as much as I am a Blair county resident, so in the event of non-payment, I will be footing the bill either way.

Let me ask you this: if I decide that these financial times are too difficult for me at my current pay grade, but I'm too much a credit risk to get a loan from the bank, what am I to do? Conservatives would say I need to tighten my belt and do everything I can to make ends meet. That's my responsibility, and Boscov's should be held to no less a standard.

Disclaimer: The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of ILoveAltoona.com, its owners, or advertisers.