No Other Way To See It: We Done Wrong

Fellow Americans, this blood is on our hands.

It is not pleasant to see what we have done, but we should have thought of that before it was done in our name, with our funds, by our countrymen -- and before we elected the overmatched, frightened, small men who chose this course.

Justice For Jordan Miles Starts Today, And Those Three Police Officers Should Stick To Desk Duty

The conflict between Jordan Miles and the City of Pittsburgh has for eight months been as lopsided as Jordan Miles' face appeared after the severe beating inflicted on him by police officers. Until today.

The officers were apparently ready for trouble when they approached Jordan Miles. Jordan Miles, an innocent boy standing in his neighborhood, likely was unprepared for what occurred. The fight was three-on-one. The officers were armed; Jordan Miles was not. The officers were trained in violence; Jordan Miles, not.

Even after the beating, even after the photographs depicted what occurred, the officers still held every advantage. Inexplicably, Jordan Miles was charged with criminal conduct; equally inexplicably (unless one considers the history of prosecutors' treatment of police brutality in Pittsburgh), the officers have not been charged. While Jordan Miles recuperated from horrific injuries, the officers skated on off-the-street duty, even scoring overtime pay. The men who beat Jordan Miles have had benefit of doubt most citizens give to police officers (as citizens should). The lawyers making decisions about the case so far -- prosecutors deciding whether criminal charges should be filed (and against whom), city solicitors deciding whether to disclose information -- have all worked for the government. Some of them were the officers' pals. Most seemed far more interested in protecting the city and the officers than in arranging justice.

That balance of power changed today, however, when Jordan Miles filed a complaint against the officers and their employer in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

In this venue, Jordan Miles will have lawyers. Not hacks from the city law department, nor politically corroded prosecutors, but lawyers of his choosing, likely aided by others with relevant experience and skills (such as those affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union). The magistrate judge and Article III judge handling the case will be part of a federal bench that knows -- and therefore disrespects -- the city as a litigant. Rules of evidence and federal judges -- instead of the city law department -- will decide which evidence is to be made available, and when. A jury will issue a judgment (unless InsolvenCity settles). The Police Bureau's obnoxious record -- admitted, longstanding and widespread abuse of citizens, culminating in a consent decree involving the United States Department of Justice, overseen by the ACLU -- has apparently been forgotten by city officials, but that record of established brutality will bolster Jordan Miles' case in court.

January 12 of this year was a bad day for Jordan Miles. Today is the first of a number of bad days for the officers who picked the wrong poor black kid unarmed, innocent honor student to beat savagely, and for the city that trained and armed them.

(If it genuinely required three officers to subdue a single unarmed, innocent honor student -- and the fight was fierce enough to justify the beating those officers inflicted -- it would probably be best for everyone were those officers to remain on off-the-street duty for the rest of their careers. Because if any one of those lightweights officers were unlucky enough to be caught in a physical confrontation with a tough man (rather than an underage honor student), and if it were an even fight (rather than three-to-one), the other guy would probably leave the uniformed pansy officer dead or maimed by the side of the road. Pittsburgh has had enough police funerals for a while, so those three officers should probably stick to desk duty. Plus, no other city officer should be required to rely on someone like one of Jordan Miles' arresting officers for backup. It also might save InsolvenCity's beleaguered taxpayers millions of dollars in excessive-force payouts.)

LST-325 (And Stanley Barish) Bring Pittsburgh Region's Glory Days Back For A Brief Visit

A unique reminder of the Pittsburgh region's glorious past will visit later this week, when the last operating LST (Landing Ship, Tank) floats from the Ohio to a North Side dock, along the Allegheny.

The enormous Navy vessels -- longer than a football field -- were World War II workhorses, many built at Ambridge or Neville Island. They carried men such as Squirrel Hill resident Stanley Barish (left), who participated in the D-Day invasion aboard LST 325, the vessel that is to visit Pittsburgh.

Tours are to be conducted, beginning September 2 and ending September 6; the $10 charge for adults would be a bargain just for the chance to shake hands with Mr. Barish (right) aboard his vessel.

Infinonytune: Ballad Of Ira Hayes, Johnny Cash

Glenn Beck's Prescription For America's Future: Old-Fashioned Fervor For (Certain) Fairy Tales

The mystery receded (for some, at least) yesterday with the revelation that Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" event was a run-of-the-mill, rally-the-rubes revival meetin', prescribing right-wing religion as the cure for the fundamental problem in today's America: oppression of whites by blacks, liberals and homosexuals.

The Tribune-Review not only covered the tent show but also took a couple of busloads of readers contest winners on a bus ride to Washington for the event. Lindsay Berdell, speaking on behalf of the Trib: "This rally was intended to honor the troops, unite the American people under the principles of integrity and truth, and to make a pledge to restore honor within ourselves and our country. We as an organization wanted to give our readers an opportunity to participate." Berdell omitted mention that Trib owner Richard Scaife is a major funder of sponsors of yesterday's events at the nation's capitol, no doubt hoping praying assuming her audience (Trib readers) would not be up to the task of adding two plus two without assistance.

Sunday Reading: How-To Edition

The Kitchen: The no-need-to-knead, everyday recipe.

The Smokehouse: Annotated guide to the master's work.

The Windows: A new Windows treatment.

The Voice Box: Unringing the Bell.

The Bedroom: Quick! Take this test before he returns from Glenn Beck's event!

The Back Room: How to understand the scene behind Beck's curtain.

Infinonytune: Sharp Dressed Man, ZZ Top

Sarah Palin Visits To Impart Family (But Not Her Family, Let Us Hope) Values To Pennsylvania

Early Returns reminds us that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visits Pennsylvania tonight to address people who not only believe fairy tales are true but also believe their cramped, bigoted interpretation of their favorite tale should be imposed on everyone else by law.

The Pennsylvania Family Institute's website entitles the speech "A Salute To The American Family" but provides no details, prompting wonder about which family-friendly lessons Mrs. Palin has traveled 4,000 miles to impart:

• 'Family bonding is important, to make sure your children feel comfortable communicating with you about the important events in their lives . . . through exclusive interviews with tabloid magazines.'


• 'Don't let radical secularists criticize your God-filled parenting just because your underage child is a drunken webcam tart.'


• 'If you raise 'em right, the Lord will tell your teenaged daughter when to get engaged to the father of her illegitimate child, when to break it off, when to get engaged again, when to break it off again . . . '


• 'Just because you attend a half-dozen undergraduate schools doesn't mean you need to attend a single one ranked above fourth-tier by that lamestream media.'


• 'One of the greatest lessons comes from the Bible: When the going gets tough . . . quit.'

Another Bad Day At Office For Judge Jill Rangos Becomes Bad Day For Kathleen McCullough, Too

Kathleen McCullough drew the wrong judge for sentencing today.

First, the judge was a mediocre Republican (on a lopsidedly Democratic bench), imposing sentence on a relative of a Republican elected official whom the local Republican establishment is trying to destroy.

Second, the crimes for which Ms. McCullough was convicted were economic, and Judge Jill Rangos (right) reserves leniency for cases that result in the violent death of children (as part of her lifelong "dedication to alleviating difficult circumstances for children," according to the biography published by her family's foundation). Had this case involved a nine-year-old in a pool of blood, Ms. McCullough could have expected, from precedent, to hear a pronouncement of "time served" as she walked to the street.

Infinonytune: Rough Justice, The Rolling Stones

Times' "Idea Of The Day" Spotlights Pittsburgh

In case the Allegheny Conference, Post-Gazette editorial board and other Pittsburgh pom-pommers do not mention InsolvenCity's most recent turn in the national spotlight, here is a link to the New York Times' Idea Of The Day, which today sports a local angle: The Pittsburgh Pirate Economy.

(The Times is charitable enough not to detail how this region spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase lower attendance, a reduced payroll, and the worst performance in America's history of major professional sports.)

Infinonytune: I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide, ZZ Top

Democrats Should Not Throw Senatorial Baby Out With The Dingy Gubernatorial Bathwater

It is understandable that Pennsylvania Democrats would lack enthusiasm with respect to the race for governor; relatively few Democrats could be expected to be excited by a nominee whose record consists of regressive taxes, unlawfully regressive assessments and solid support of the Republican Party's platform.

The reported lack of Democratic interest in the Senate campaign, however, is puzzling. The distinction between Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey is vivid and important; Sestak's record and platform should inspire Democrats as much as Toomey's record and platform should repulse them.

Sestak is at times a shambling and surprisingly disorganized campaigner, but his resume, voting record and insights should be enough to overcome a lack of polish and rally more Democratic energy as Election Day nears.

P-G Finally Prints A Worthwhile Editorial Letter

Not every word on the Post-Gazette editorial page is dopey.

For example, that page today includes a wonderful letter from Paul Manion of Ross. Mr. Manion might have included Rick Santorum and the Rooneys among his list of chuckleheads responsible for that misbegotten hole under the Allegheny River, but that is a small point. It also would have been nice to mention some of the naysayers, such as Jack Wagner, who correctly pegged the project as conceived by imbeciles, endorsed by morons and implemented by idiots.

Mr. Manion, your perspicacity disqualifies you from participation in regional civic leadership, but your letter rebuts the tempting conclusion that the P-G editorial page is never worth reading.

Proof The Corporate Welfare Application Is Less Demanding Than Individual Welfare Application

Fayette County is providing multi-millon dollar corporate welfare to a huge company whose ostentatiously wealthy founder is a former Fayette commissioner (and has been a major funder of at least one current commissioner).

The details?

One consultant opined that the credit arrangement involved "no financial obligation" for the taxpayers; another the same consultant indicated that "the state would dip into a discretionary pool of CDBG funding, if necessary, to pay off the loan;" and the welfare recipient amplified the point about an absence of financial risk to taxpayers by declaring that, without the government assistance, the company "anticipates that it will cease operations and be forced to liquidate."

If a young, single mother submitted that application, any doubt she'd be arrested for fraud?

That GOP Closet Requires A Revolving Door

If it took Ken Mehlman 43 years to figure out that he is gay, that could explain how he was slow enough to fail to recognize by 2004 (when he was George W. Bush's campaign manager) that the presidency of Bush the Lesser was a comprehensive, spectacular failure.

On the other hand, being up to speed on his sexual orientation was irrelevant to recognition of the immorality of complicity in Karl Rove's strategic use of anti-gay referenda and homophobic churches to push slack-jawed Republicans to the polls.

Scorecard on Ken Mehlman: Newly gay, still dumb (he thinks he can make the Republican Party more tolerant of gays) and immoral. Add the ample blood on his hands from Iraq, and it might be time to seek some counseling.

Cowher: Ben's A "Good Person"; Infinonymous: What Time Should He Pick Up Your Daughter?

Bill Cowher -- much like the Dicks people at Dick's Sporting Goods -- considers Ben Roethlisberger "a good person" who has become 'reflective'. Cowher made these comments during an interview that led the AP to use the headline "Cowher: Steelers' Roethlisberger Finally Showing Maturity."

Cowher seemed to have a better handle on this situation a few months ago, when he said:

• "I think we like anybody that can help us win football games."


• "I think again, as you know, the bottom line is trying to win football games."

On the other hand, Cowher also implied that recreational drug use is an offense worse than sexual assault. The overarching point about Roethlisberger's situation, from his perspective: "The one thing you want to make sure the players do is they don’t do anything to dampen your ability to win football games. What Ben has done is put himself in a situation where he’s going to miss six games. Hopefully, he’ll do the right thing and minimize that to four."

Those moral insights make it apt to wonder how Cowher would answer this question:

Would you you think, Coach, about your daughter spending some quality time alone with Big Ben?

With Big Mama Out Of The Way, Parking Patrols Can Devote Attention To Upper-Crust Scofflaws

The demise of another downtown restaurant is bad news, and the story is likely more complicated than appears at the surface, but there is a silver lining to the closure of Big Mama's House of Southern Cuisine: The police and Pittsburgh Parking Authority agents who have been busy monitoring Big Mama's parking compliance are now free to travel a couple of blocks southwest, to Sixth Street, where the Duquesne Club has been blatantly using a long stretch of public street as a paid parking lot for years.

What's sauce for the chicken and greens is equally sauce for the spots and macaroons (or the "caviar from the Persian Sea"), is it not?

Infinonytune: Beverly Hills, Weezer

InsolvenCity: Unique Failure On Pension Funding

The underlying research requires review for several reasons, but this report suggests that unique irresponsibility, instead of larger forces, precipitated the City of Pittsburgh's chronic failure to comply with pension obligations.

Other Allegheny County municipalities, and every legislator in the Commonwealth, should consider this point carefully.