About Me

My photo
Nazareth, Pa., United States

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Whitehall Board Chair Simulates Cutting Hozza's Throat (UPDATE)

This violates the Flag Code
Embarrassed that Whitehall Mayor Ed Hozza would dare allow the local Syrian community to celebrate their Independence Day after he had already said No, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski decided to get even. If he really gave a shit about them, he might try to eliminate the increasingly serious problem of veteran homelessness in Allentown instead of forming yet another "task force"that will do nothing. But veterans have their uses, something that Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Gaius Julius Caesar proved when they marched on Rome. Pawlowski, through his paid consultants, rounded up a bunch of veterans and had them march into Whitehall Township's Municipal Building for a meeting that was, by all accounts, ugly. This is because Board President Linda Snyder, a supporter of Hozza's primary opponent, played her part well. Not only did she ignore the occupancy limit set by the fire department, but she actually encouraged physical violence, according to a detailed report at WFMZ-TV69.

Hozza's big offense, from everything I'm able to gather, is that he took down the POW-MIA flag - the same flag he takes home to wash - at the one-flagpole municipal complex so that Syrian Americans could honor their own country. By all accounts, it was down no more than an hour as the Syrian flag was hoisted underneath the Stars and Stripes. This might be a violation of the Flag Code, but the Supreme Court has ruled that no punitive measures may be taken for violations.

The First Amendment happens to be a little more important.

Angry veterans poured in on Monday night, and Hozza's claim that he meant no offense were of no consequence.

As unpleasant as all this sounds, none of the veterans threatened violence. That came from Board President Linda Snyder.

According to reporter Randy Kraft's account, "At one point, as people were yelling at Hozza, Snyder ran her finger across her throat, simulating someone’s throat being cut."

I called around today, and several people who were at that meeting witnessed this astonishingly crude behavior by one elected official towards another.

Mayor Hozza may have made a mistake in lowering the POW-MIA flag, but that pales in comparison  to the suggestion that his throat be slit. There were three police officers at that meeting. if any one of them saw it, Snyder should be charged with harassment.

Updated 3:37 pm: Snyder gives Express Times hollow throat-slitting explanation. - The Express Times now has a story about the ugly meeting in Whitehall Township on Monday night. In her initial story, reporter Precious Petty made no mention of a throat-slitting hand gesture, likely because she never witnessed it.  But she did note that "Snyder was just as worked up as some of the veterans on hand and did some shouting and interrupting of her own."

Snyder denies making a throat-slitting gesture. "Something like that would never enter my mind," she told Petty. "I know better than that. I've been around too many years."

She is claiming now that she was attempting top cut people off, but as Petty notes in her original report, Snyder was actually whipping up people herself, while simultaneously shouting down those who disagreed with her.

Her explanation rings hollow.

The Express Times has uploaded some of the photos taken of the throat-slitting gesture. I have those as well, and at least one person has video of the incident.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh please O'Hare. Couldn't she have been making a cutoff gesture to the vocally irate audience?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Not according to the people with whom I spoke. Why would somone who repeatedly said she would stay until she heard everyone make a cutoff gesture? And if you read the account, she was one of the most vocal critics.

Dandy Lion said...

The Assad apologists in our region are a disgrace to the butchered Christians who have been beheaded by IS and those who have given their lives to overthrowing the tyranny of his dynasty.

Next Hozza will began and end each meeting with "Alahu Akbar" while O'Hate and his cohorts pray to Mecca.

Anonymous said...

Hozza inherited the fiscal mess left by McNeil another piece of information hidden by O'Hare. You folks do realize he doesn't provide all the facts.
Especially if he is protecti8ng someone like McNeil.

Anonymous said...

gonna hold my outrage for now. people make that gesture all the time to mime "stop" or "silence"

Anonymous said...

How many politicians have donated to the 2nd St Syrian club since 1979. Pawlowski? Palagonia did. What is 248 saying?

Where was this outrage when the flag was being raised in Allentown? This will come back to bite Pawlowski? This has turned many local democrats already.

Anonymous said...

This is why D for dummy had R Brown served allentowns koolaid fermented blue at said local fine eatery downtown¿ Than he had allentowns fine mayor had paix one of his thugs with his state campaign donations to run Brown off the clover leaf on 78¿

This is theand has been the D Democratic way in allentown for years¿ This is yet another example of takeing advantage of the disadvantaged with knowledge of¿


redd
patent pending

Anonymous said...

248. What a disgraceful comment. I know both Hozza and Palagonia. Hozza is a life long member of his Parish and is a very active. He sings at funerals and weddings often.

Palagonia joined our Church in July as it was in the newsletter. Initially, I thought Masonry and Catholism were not compatible (according to EWTN it is). Then, I learned one of his campaign consultants is a member and it all made sense. We have not been to Church breakfast in a while.

I felt I had to state Hozza is a good Christian as we all know this is all politically driven.

Anonymous said...

I don't know who this cat is but he should not hold elective office. Taking down the POW flag to raise the Syrian flag - a flag of a country who is a designated state sponsor of terrorism. Raising that flag is bad enough. That's one good thing Edwin did is take no part in honoring that country.

Anonymous said...

Hozza will get hosed in next week's primary. The good news is that he will have plenty of time to grow his asbestos abatement business.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"I don't know who this cat is but he should not hold elective office. Taking down the POW flag to raise the Syrian flag - a flag of a country who is a designated state sponsor of terrorism. Raising that flag is bad enough. That's one good thing Edwin did is take no part in honoring that country."

Sorry, An elected official who encourages violence against another, and during a meeting, is just over the top. I just saw pictures taken by someone in the audience that clearly show she was doing exactly what Randy kraft described.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"we all know this is all politically driven."

Of course it is. For millennia, politicians have preyed upon veterans and have whipped them into frenzies to do horrible things. This is just a minor example, arranged by Pawlowski.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Hozza inherited the fiscal mess left by McNeil another piece of information hidden by O'Hare. You folks do realize he doesn't provide all the facts.
Especially if he is protecti8ng someone like McNeil."


I am in no way protecting McNeill, who apparently has a Fleck alum on his payroll. I hid nothing. McNeill, who himself is half Syrian, has been strangely silent on this issue. But this post has nothing to do with him. It's about an elected official who simulates cutting the throat of another elected official,and during a public meeting.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"The Assad apologists in our region are a disgrace to the butchered Christians"

They are Christian Syrians who know their area and Assad far better than you.

Anonymous said...

IT doesn't matter if they are Christians or not. Who cares WHAT religion THEY are - what I care about is Americans promoting a country rife with Islamic jihad. They should disown that country.

Anonymous said...

1203....your comment spits on those that sacraficed in Iraq and Afghanistan, counties rife with Islamic Jihad. Sounds like you are blaming the persecuted.

It should be noted the Red China flag fly over the White House.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"what I care about is Americans promoting a country rife with Islamic jihad. They should disown that country. "

So when Ireland went through the troubles for much of the past 200 years, shoule Irish Americans have disowned that country? They did not abnd intead embraced it. Of course, many were bigoted against the Irish. Now I guess it's OK to be bigoted against and hate all people from the Middle East, even the Christians. Bigot.

Anonymous said...

Her gesture is consistent with the stage and screen acting command, "cut," used to end a scene or demand silence. I think this is much ado about nothing. Nonetheless, what's being done to Hozza is pretty sick.

Anonymous said...

214...if you want silence, it would be palms down motion. In the context of the gesture, she was the one talking and she was looking at the Mayor, not the crowd.

Anonymous said...

I was there she had an agenda. That women was a one person circus. Gestures with her arms saying raise the roof. Rolling her eyes when an alternate topic was discussed. What a show. She was absolutely unprofessional. The fact that these vets were rallied to appear and majority not from Whitehall begs the question. Do we have a true picture of how the township feels or are we all fired up because of theatrics? Let me make clear I do not agree with what the Mayor did, however Mrs. Snyder was out of line.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The Mayor himself apologized to the veterans, told them he meant no harm and that should have been the end of it. If Hozza was running around burning the American flag, I could understand the anger. But an innocent violation of an unenforceable flag code?? Gimme a break.

Anonymous said...

You just won't give up on your petty, unsubstantiated claim that she made a threatening gesture. You are so biased Bernie you will make anything up to make your stupid points.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I was not there. I did not reach the conclusion that she made a throat-slitting gesture. Randy Kraft did.

Anonymous said...

So when Ireland went through the troubles for much of the past 200 years, shoule Irish Americans have disowned that country? They did not abnd intead embraced it. Of course, many were bigoted against the Irish. Now I guess it's OK to be bigoted against and hate all people from the Middle East, even the Christians. Bigot.

Ireland was on the list of state sponsors of terrorism? I must have missed that. Stop. You sound uninformed as usual. Its not about extremists being IN Syria its about extremist, brutal thugs RUNNING Syria.

Anonymous said...

Hozza is going DOWN on Tuesday. The MIA flap will resonate with the voters. He has embarrassed Whitehall for years with his indiscretions. He should pack up his floor sander and leave now.

Bernie O'Hare said...

It is a contest between the people, who support Hozza, and an urban growth regime in which your real king will be pawlowski.

Anonymous said...

Boy, Bernie your hatred for Pawlowski has no bounds! What did he ever do to you, personally? Despite your weak claims, a majority of the "little people" you like to think you represent think that Pawlowski has done a good job as their mayor, and vote him back in office every election in a landslide if he even has an opponent. So I guess you only lecture about democracy when it suits your argument. Are you claiming democracy is not being practiced in Allentown? The city is 60% minority yet they have voted Pawlowski in for three terms. Are they all stupid or duped by the Pawlowski machine? Are you calling them uneducated, or uninformed? How arrogant of you. Pawlowski has been a great mayor for the city. But your hatred of him continues to blind you. Your credibility on this issue is zilch.

Bernie O'Hare said...

First, I hate no one.

Second, A majority of the people did not vote for Pawlowski. It was a majority of the 10-12% who were driven to the polls. If just 50% of the registered voters actual came out and cast a ballot, Pawlowski would be out on his ass.

Third, most ogf Allentown's minority is not refgistered. They do not vote, not beccause they are apathetic, buyt bc economic circumstances make it impossible. Many work 2 or 3 jobs just to pay the rent or feed their children. Most of them, who are ignored when they complain, hate Pawlowski, who only has time for people with large checkbooks.

Anonymous said...

You are great at fabricating excuses Bernie. Turnout in ANY community is usually low, particularly in non-Presidential elections. So, Hispanics do not register, do not vote, and if they did they would overwhelmingly vote against Pawlowski. Did you pull that absurd theory out of your ass? Let's look at every ward in Allentown that is primarily Hispanic and see what the vote was in the last mayoral election. I guarantee that Pawlowski won overwhelmingly. His initiatives have created hundreds of jobs for inner-city poor. You give him no credit. You would prefer that Allentown was an economic ghost town with pawn shops, tattoo parlors and quick cash shops lining Hamilton Street. You sit in your cushy home in lily-white Nazareth and throw stones at our mayor. Why don't you live in downtown Allentown for a couple of years. That way you could run for office, take on the horrible Pawlowski machine and turn Allentown back into the commercial ghetto it was.

Anonymous said...

Rumor..NIZ being looked at by the Federals for possible full blown investigation. That is all.

Bernie O'Hare said...

With that kind of money, it is inevitable.