What A Difference An Actual Report Makes, Right Mr. Mayor?

What A Difference An Actual Report Makes, Right Mr. Mayor?

Yesterday, Mayor Williams had his last Town Hall. I'll say more about that in another post. But he said to WDEL yesterday:
Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams is making it clear he's not a huge fan of the Wilmington Public Safety Strategies Commission. "What's the big deal about this crime commission?" Williams posed on WDEL's Delaware's Morning News. "Everybody that put a few dollars up, talked about this crime commission being so great," Williams said. "Where were these people when I asked them to support Wilmington many years ago?"
But when the Wilmington Public Safety Strategies Commission was authorized by the Governor, this is what he had to say:
"Since taking office in 2013, I have recognized the value and necessity of State assistance in fighting violent crime," Williams said in a written statement. "I have consistently lobbied for Governor Markell and the State's support in tackling the violent crime in Wilmington. I would like to thank the Governor and City Delegation for their steadfast support and commitment, as we work collectively on the issue of eradicating the crime and violence in our city."
Wednesday Open Thread [5.20.15]

Wednesday Open Thread [5.20.15]

“Is there something about the left — and I am going to put the media in this category — that is obsessed with sex?” — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), quoted by the Texas Tribune, when asked about gay rights. Only the most sophmoric knuckle dragging idiot would equate promoting equality for all, including those who are gay, with an interest in sex. Indeed, Mr. Cruz has it reversed. It has been all of our experience, proven time and again, that those who are the most homophobic are usually in the closet, having all the gay sex they can. Those promoting "family Christian values" and condemning women's rights and divorce are usually those who one to four mistresses on the side.
No more news on Beau Biden’s condition….

No more news on Beau Biden’s condition….

....and it is likely that is the way it will be. He will be released after the treatment is completed with no disclosure as to what his treatment was for, and then at the end of the summer he will announce officially his candidacy for Governor. But, despite the best efforts of the Biden camp and those who think his medical condition is none of our business, the News Journal has a poll up this morning, and the votes so far reveal that this is a matter of some debate. The question is framed in such a way that it assumes that if Beau Biden were currently in office as a public official, the public would undoubtedly have a right to know all about his medical condition.
Beau Biden Hospitalized in Walter Reed Medical Center

Beau Biden Hospitalized in Walter Reed Medical Center

From the News Journal:
Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden and a Democratic candidate for governor of Delaware in 2016, has been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for an undisclosed illness. The vice president's office confirmed Tuesday that Beau Biden was undergoing treatment, but did not go into further details.
Alright. First things first. I really don't think there is any Delawarean out there, save the truly evil conservatives among us who are already destined for Hell, who doesn't wish Beau Biden the best of health, and have been wishing him a recovery from whatever it is he has been dealing with lo these many years now. I truly hope whatever Mr. Biden is getting treatment for is not serious and he is getting well. And yes, in a perfect world, normally, we all are entitled to privacy in our private lives and concerning our medical treatments. But, "undisclosed illness" and "did not go into further details?" That has to stop. Now.
Tuesday Open Thread [5.19.15]

Tuesday Open Thread [5.19.15]

It is Primary Election Day in Philadelphia. The current Mayor, Michael Nutter, has served two full terms and is term limited. So with this being an open election, we have several notable candidates: former longtime District Attorney Lynne Abraham, City Councilman Jim Kenney, State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, former City Solicitor Nelson Diaz and insane crazy man Milton Street (entitled brother of horrible former Mayor John Street). Until recently, this looked like a close contest between ex-City Councilor Jim Kenney and state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams. While labor is heavily backing Kenney, Williams is benefiting from a super PAC funded by wealthy pro-charter school businessmen. However, a recent independent poll gave Kenney a massive 42-15 lead, with former District Attorney Lynn Abraham also at 15, and no one has released any contradictory numbers.
Mayor Williams Holds Another Town Meeting

Mayor Williams Holds Another Town Meeting

This one is tomorrow, Tuesday May 19th at P.S. duPont. Please come out to ask the Mayor about the status of implementing the Wilmington Public Safety Strategies Commission recommendations (some of these recommendations are largely in line with President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing report. Or just ask him about the political agendas that are somehow more proactive about the safety of Wilmingtonians than his own plan is. Handcuffs are optional for this event, but if you got 'em, wear 'em!
Camden Gets the Kudos for Community Policing that Wilmington Could Have Had

Camden Gets the Kudos for Community Policing that Wilmington Could Have Had

So you've heard me talk about the successes that Camden has had in bending the curve of their crime and violence issues -- and today, President Obama travels to Camden to recommend the Camden Community Policing approach as a national model. This accompanies the release of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing report today:
The report endorsed Thomson's view that "community policing cannot be a program, unit, strategy or tactic. It must be the core principle that lies at the foundation of a police department's culture. "The only way to significantly reduce fear, crime and disorder, and then sustain these gains is to leverage the greatest force multiplier: the people of the community," Thomson testified.
Monday Open Thread [5.17.15]

Monday Open Thread [5.17.15]

I am personally loving that we have been discussing whether the Iraq War was right again, and I am loving how every single Republican, even Jeb Bush after some indecision, have declared that the last Republican President's greatest legacy was nothing but a horrible mistake that should have never happened. Paul Krugman hails the opening of a much-needed and long-postponed debate about the Iraq disaster, made inevitable by Bush 3.0. E. J. Dionne, Jr. notes in his latest Washington Post column that "other hawks would rather see the was-the-Iraq-War-right question magically disappear because they know it's a no-win for them."
"Most Americans now think the war was ill-advised. Why remind them that most of the same people who are super hawks now brought them an adventure they deeply regret? Thus did the Wall Street Journal editorial page on Friday come out firmly and unequivocally in favor of -- evasion. "The right answer to the question is that it's not a useful or instructive one to answer, because statesmanship, like life, is not conducted in hindsight." On the GOP side it may be that Jeb's blundering is very bad news for Lindsey Graham and other Iraq war supporterts and equivocators, but good news for Rand Paul.