400,000 riders maybe stranded as of Monday if SEPTA goes on strike. This will hurt the most vulnerable. Children. Working mothers. The elderly. Those that have the capability to find other transportation will do so and you can bet that many won’t come back when this is over. As was the case with the California grocery strike – it appears the main issue is health care.

The Frankford Terminal Weblog appears to be a weblog maintained by a SEPTA employee and has plenty of related information on the strike. Linked from the FTW is a strike survival guide.

In the fall of 2002, Hoeffel voted for the use of military power in Iraq because he said he was “mislead” by the White House.

“I believed we needed to disarm Saddam Hussein of Weapons of Mass Destruction,” he said. “Congress was misled by the President. We need to look into the intelligence reports.”

According to Hoeffel, intelligence reports available to the White House in August 2002, were not available to Congress until the spring of 2003.
“The findings were filled with uncertainty,” he said, “but the White House presented it as fact.”

Local U.S. Rep. Joseph Hoeffel says Bush misled him (The Northeast Breeze).

David Kay, the man who led the CIA’s postwar effort to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, has called on the Bush administration to “come clean with the American people” and admit it was wrong about the existence of the weapons.

In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Kay said the administration’s reluctance to make that admission was delaying essential reforms of US intelligence agencies, and further undermining its credibility at home and abroad.

He welcomed the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq, and said the wide-ranging US investigation was much more likely to get to the truth than the Butler inquiry in Britain. That, he noted, had “so many limitations it’s going to be almost impossible” to come to meaningful conclusions.

Read more at the Guardian Unlimited.

Just like Alex I’m happy it’s Mr. Big too 🙂

Chantlady asks Does everyone know the Clothespin?. I walk by it everyday and now know more then I ever did. Great post 🙂 I gotta see My Architect now.

Chris Puzak’s metal music reviews are getting more and more notice. And publishing!

Mary’s had content from one of her sites stolen.

Lawrence is in Brazil, at Carnival.

Two are held, but others are sought (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Faheem Thomas-Childs, the 10-year-old who had been the focus of hopes and prayers since he was shot in the face Wednesday morning while walking to school, died yesterday of his wounds.

A gunfight that took place over two city blocks ended up across a Philadelphia school yard. Children had to run for their lives. 10-year-old Faheem Thomas-Childs (Philadelphia Inquirer) was critically wounded by one of the many stray shots (Philadelphia Inquirer) that could have took the lives of many. A $65,000 reward is being offered in connection with the arrest of these bastards.

Philadelphia can be a hostile place for children (Philadelphia Inquirer). Last Saturday an 8 year old girl was raped and beaten in a public library (Philadelphia Inquirer). That criminal was arrested on Monday.

I’ve heard one too many gunshots ringing out in the middle night myself. Yesterday hundreds bravely stood together against the violence and in support of Faheem, his family, and for others. Please, if you have information, come forward.

All my prayers to Faheem, his family, and the 8 year old girl and her family.

We have a inferiority complex in Philly – there is too much talk about “destiny” and there are too many who lay the blame for not having a national sports title in twenty or so years at it’s feet (WashingtonPost). I believe in teams giving it their best – and when destiny hands you an opportunity – you take it – last night the other team did so.

So here goes some Monday morning quarterbacking… I rarely do this here but like many in Philly I’m pissed and want to vent:

People, right on que, are starting to blame McNabb and Coach Reid – and that’s a shame because they miss the point – football is a team sport and at the championship level requires more then just one player pulling everone else up:

All of the blame for the Eagles’ demise should not be pinned on McNabb. His top two receivers – James Thrash and Todd Pinkston – combined for one catch for 9 yards and rarely got open against the Panthers’ secondary. The Eagles dropped a total of six passes.

Carolina’s Ricky Manning, a rookie cornerback who said that he was unimpressed with the Eagles’ receivers leading up to the game, showed even less respect for them on the field. He finished the day with three interceptions, including one in the third quarter after a jarring hit by safety Mike Minter caused Thrash to lose the all.

Read the rest in the Inquirer.

I have to add: While that hit on McNabb may have been legal – it was one of the most low down shots I’ve ever seen. You know the Panthers wanted to take McNabb out of the game – and they got away with it. Lets hope the Eagles keep some of the players they may lose (how can they lose Duce?!?!) – and get in some new receivers.

Thanks for another great run Eagles!